If you are now asking about serious accidents involving e-scooters, there have been some in Dortmund, but fortunately only a few. On 20 August, a 37-year-old man from Dortmund had an accident with a rented e-scooter and suffered minor injuries, although this was not due to a traffic violation but a technical defect. Another accident occurred on August 24. Here, a car driver had overlooked an e-scooter rider on Lindemannstraße. In an attempt to avoid a collision, the 26-year-old fell and suffered minor injuries. On September 4, a Dortmund man fell from an e-scooter against a parked car due to heavy drinking and sustained minor injuries. Dortmund police have recorded a total of nine accidents involving e-scooters to date (September 12), three of which resulted in material damage.

"E-scooters have become part of the cityscape in a very short space of time - so far without any serious problems occurring," says the head of the Traffic Directorate, Senior Police Director (LPD) Ralf Ziegler. "We are very pleased that we have not had to record any serious or even fatal accidents involving e-scooters in Dortmund so far. However, this is also partly due to the attentiveness and consideration of all other road users, who take particular care when allowing the newcomers to take part in road traffic."

But it's not just about the problems when something has already happened. In the past two months, the police have also been confronted with new phenomena to which they now need to respond. For example, many fans arrived at a BVB Bundesliga match on e-scooters. In itself very commendable, but these scooter riders also drove right up to the stadium. They weaved their way through the crowds, which became increasingly dense in the event area. Of course, the risk of accidents increases many times over here. Fortunately, nothing happened. The police are now focusing on those who do not behave correctly on the roads or deliberately avoid correct behavior. If you observe drivers closely, you can identify different types of behavior and divide users into categories:

Commuters and tourists: An inconspicuous group. Prudent driving, some use of protective clothing (at least a helmet), no dangerous driving maneuvers.

Recreational and party riders: These are often young adults, sometimes also teenagers, who do not see the scooter as a means of transportation but use it as a toy. They like to ride with two (or even three) people on a scooter and disregard the applicable traffic regulations and the designated zones in which the scooters are not allowed to be moved.

Private e-scooter owners: They use the scooters as an alternative to the car or public transport. If the police detect any infringements here, these are more likely to be in the area of insurance or licensing law.

"It is important to us that you always arrive safe and sound, regardless of which mode of transport you use," says the head of the traffic directorate. "There are rules for safe interaction in road traffic, including for small electric vehicles (EVs). In future, we will enforce compliance with the rules more strictly in accordance with the new offences. We would like to provide you with some information here so that you too can get through traffic safely. E-scooters YES - but safely!"

In the past few days, increased checks have already taken place. Last weekend alone, police officers detected 14 people driving scooters under the influence of alcohol and/or narcotics. In eight cases, the persons were riding in pairs on the scooter and three scooter riders were speeding through the pedestrian zone illegally. Here the tips and rules obviously come too late... Remember: you risk losing your driver's license if you behave badly on an e-scooter!

In the download box (right) you will find flyers with rules, tips and relevant offences and our prevention video on Facebook.