Traffic | The video shows how an e-scooter drove in the wrong direction on the road – “At least the running condition was good”, comments the police

Young an electric scooter rider drives down the street in the wrong direction, sees the police, falls and runs away on foot into the early morning of a Sunday in July.

Chief Commissioner of the Helsinki Police Department Dennis Pasterstein shared a video of that situation on the messaging service X on Tuesday.

“It was unclear what the driving condition was, the running condition was at least good,” wrote Pasterstein.

Pasterstein says that the patrol that witnessed the situation apparently did not go on a larger search to catch up with the man who ran away. The reason might be that even though the situation looked terrible, the fault was ultimately minor, he estimates.

“It would mainly be a matter of a traffic error fee for driving in the wrong direction on a one-way street and leaving a board in the driveway,” says Pasterstein and reminds that falling over is not a crime.

Pasterstein’s driving in the wrong direction on the road is one of the four common traffic violations committed on electric scooters.

The other three are driving at red lights, hitchhiking and riding on the sidewalk. On weekends, drunken driving also becomes more prominent, Pasterstein says.

He reminds that not all electric scooter riders should be blamed for the fact that some do not respect traffic rules.

However, the fact is that electric scooters are keeping the police busy right now, says Pasterstein. He was involved in monitoring traffic in the center of Helsinki at the beginning of last week. There were a total of about 60 cases in which e-scooters and cyclists broke the traffic rules in the monitoring intervals of one or two hours.

According to Pasterstein, the problem is accentuated especially among young people.

What so an electric scooter should keep in mind? The same traffic rules as cyclists, says Pasterstein.

The speed of the situation must be appropriate, from the age of 12 you must stay away from the sidewalk, the helmet must be on and the friend must be off the ride. You can’t use tricks, and the shoes must also be suitable for electric kickboarding, Pasterstein lists.

According to him, it is good that the disadvantages of electric kickboarding are highlighted in the media with the deaths.

Last Thursday in Leppävaara, two electric kickboarders collided with each other and another died in to the injuries he received.

In June in Vantaa’s Myyrmäki, an electric scooter and a car collided. There were three 12-year-olds on board, one of whom died in the accident. Also in Helsinki, a 14-year-old child died in June after falling on an electric scooter in Kaivopuisto.

According to Pasterstein, a lot of work is being done in Finland to ensure that the country has safe roads and traffic conditions.

“But then we accept this significant traffic safety risk,” he wonders.