The Korea Personal Mobility Industry Association announced on the 17th that, according to an analysis of last year's traffic accident analysis system (TAAS) statistics by the Korea Road Traffic Authority, the number of accidents involving personal mobility devices (PM), including electric scooters, has shown a decline for the first time.
In 2024, the total number of PM-related accidents was 2,232, a 6.6% decrease compared to the previous year, with the death toll at 23, down by one, and the number of injuries at 2,486, a 5.2% decrease. The number of serious injuries was 636, maintaining a similar level to the previous year.
PM accidents accounted for 1.1% of all traffic accidents. In the same year, there were 5,571 bicycle accidents (2.8%) and 15,290 motorcycle accidents (6.7%). The association noted that accidents involving pedestrians also recorded higher figures with bicycles and motorcycles showing rates 1.6 times and 2.3 times higher, respectively.
In terms of fatality rates, PM had the lowest at 0.78%. Bicycles had a rate of 1.27%, motorcycles 1.39%, and motorized bicycles 1.65%, all higher than PM. The number of fatalities and injuries due to PM accidents has shown a declining trend for two consecutive years since 2022.
The Korea PM Industry Association assessed that this improvement is a result of efforts to spread safety awareness among users and institutional efforts such as education and campaigns by the industry and local governments.
Park Pan-yeol, the executive vice president of the Korea Personal Mobility Industry Association, said, "PM has low fatality rates and pedestrian impact. The volume of traffic and road environment have a greater influence on accidents than speed," adding that a data-driven policy transition is needed rather than policies that exclude specific modes of transportation.