Bosnia and Herzegovina enacts electric scooter rules as accidents claim lives

The Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina is set to amend the Traffic Safety Law to regulate electric scooters. The draft defines a scooter as an electric‑powered vehicle limited to 25 km/h and 0.6 kW, permits riders aged 14 and older, and mandates helmets, functional horn, front and rear lights and night‑time equipment. Scooters may primarily use bicycle lanes; where none exist they can travel on roads with speed limits up to 50 km/h, but are banned from highways and fast roads. Riders must dismount and walk the scooter across road crossings without a bike lane, and are prohibited from operating under alcohol or drugs, carrying a passenger, or using both‑ear headphones.

Recent data show a surge in e‑scooter incidents. From 2020 to July 2026 at least two riders have died – a 88‑year‑old man in Tuzla (Feb 2025) and a 25‑year‑old in Sarajevo (July 2026) – and more than 110 people have been injured. Official canton reports record dozens of injuries each year, though comprehensive national statistics are lacking. The new rules align Bosnia and Herzegovina with many European countries that have introduced similar e‑scooter regulations.