Bill to Install License Plates on Electric Bikes and Scooters Receives Preliminary Approval

The Knesset plenum on Wednesday approved in a preliminary reading the bill of MK Rabbi Yaakov Asher (UTJ) that calls for the installation of an identification plate on electric scooters and bicycles.

Rabbi Asher congratulated Transportation Minister Merav Michaeli on supporting the law and said, “As Jews we know that the sanctity of life is above all. This is the first step on the way to regulating the chaos in the area of ​​the coronavirus outbreak, which unfortunately has taken its toll and is still taking its toll.”

According to the bill, it will be stipulated that an electric bicycle and a motorized scooter will be fitted with an identification plate bearing the registration number of the owner of the bicycle or motorized scooter. It should be noted that in recent years, several attempts have been made, mainly by Rabbi Asher, to pass this law. As early as Sept. 19, a green light was given to the move, but it was not carried out.

The explanatory memorandum to the law stated that in recent years there has been a wide increase in the use of these bikes and scooters and they have the ability to drive at higher speeds than similar non-motorized vehicles. As a result, many pedestrians, as well as cyclists, are injured. To address the danger and combat traffic offenses, some of which are life-threatening, legislative amendments have been made, but at the same time, the culture change is minimal due to the difficulty of enforcing riders who do not carry identification.

Rabbi Asher presented a study according to which about 62% of the youths who ride these vehicles were involved in an accident. The figure, he said, indicates a lack of adequate enforcement despite the amendments to the laws.

Therefore, the bill that requires an identification plate will increase the level of deterrence and allow insurance companies to provide personal accident and third-party insurance policies to riders, which will help reduce thefts, among other things. This method does not require registration or engraving on the chassis, but only preliminary registration.

The legislation, if passed, will apply to all electrically powered vehicles, and in order to minimize the necessary bureaucracy, licenses will be issued in the name of the rider rather than to the vehicle itself, so that even if a person buys a new bike or scooter, he will not have to obtain a new license.

Rabbi Asher’s bill was spurred by the recent passing of Rabbi Avraham Aryeh Aderet, z”l, of Bnei Brak, who was killed by a person riding an electric scooter.

“Every week we hear of new incidents with these electrically powered vehicles, but there’s no enforcement and people who are injured don’t even get any compensation for their damages.

“Rabbi Aderet was a wonderful man, a warm-hearted Jew,” Rabbi Asher added. “He worked a lot with baalei teshuvah. He was one of Bnei Brak’s most precious Jews and it’s simply tragic that his life was cut short in this way.”