“Pay-as-you-go PMV insurance and the use of a helmet are keys to the kind of micro mobility we want to promote” Ramon Lamiel, director of Servei Català de Trànsit

• During discussions at the round table organised in Barcelona by Línea Directa Aseguradora to mark the launch of 'Safe&Go', its PMV insurance, Ramon Lamiel, director of Servei Català de Trànsit (SCT), confirmed that pay-as-you-go PMV insurance and the use of helmets are key to the kind of micro mobility that the Catalan government is looking to promote. 
• Aside from the director of SCT, the meeting was attended by David Pérez-Renovales, Managing Director of Vivaz Seguros, who acted as moderator; Isabel López Riera, Deputy Prosecutor for Road Safety in Barcelona; Adrià Gomila, Head of the Mobility Service at Barcelona City Council; and Noelia López Martínez, Inspector at the Eixample District of Barcelona City Police (Guardia Urbana).
• “PMV insurance is absolutely essential if we want this type of mobility to thrive and become a genuine transport model. It is important to remember that traffic victims are compensated because there is always an insurance company operating in the background", remarked Isabel López Riera, Deputy Prosecutor for Road Safety in Barcelona.
• For Adrià Gomila, Head of the Mobility Service at Barcelona City Council, “We are working to update the city's Mobility Ordinance on the subject of PMVs. The challenge is now to prevent accidents and to set up a proper parking system, among other matters.”
• “Vivaz Safe & Go” insurance, the event sponsor, is the first insurance product available on the market that users of Personal Mobility Vehicles (PMVs) —such as scooters, bicycles or segways— can take out without having to register their vehicle or obtain a licence plate. 

Barcelona, 9 December 2021. The last few years have witnessed a complete transformation in urban mobility. Issues such as urban planning, transport and technology and its influence on road safety are now pressing concerns in the political arena and hot topics in the press and media. Barcelona is a leading city in mobility, with various initiatives and measures that aim to make Barcelona a more human space, respond to the climate challenge and champion new forms of non-polluting transport.

Línea Directa Aseguradora has just held a debate on road safety amid the emergence of new forms of mobility, especially Personal Mobility Vehicles (PMVs), which have been surging in popularity. The event, held this morning at Torre Glòries under the title “Towards sustainable, safe and connected urban micro mobility in Barcelona: road safety challenges facing the city amid the use of Personal Mobility Vehicles", coincided with the recent launch of “Vivaz Safe&Go”, the event sponsor. "Safe & Go" is the first insurance aimed at PMV users (scooters, bicycles, skates, segways, unicycles and hoverboards) that covers the individual and their mobility rather than the actual vehicle. The insurance can be arranged as and when needed (on demand), thus responding to the challenges raised by urban mobility.

This morning's round table in the Catalan capital was attended by four prominent government figures: Ramon Lamiel, director of Servei Català de Trànsit (Catalan Traffic Service); Isabel López Riera, Deputy Prosecutor for Road Safety in Barcelona; Adrià Gomila, Head of the Mobility Service at Barcelona City Council; and Noelia López Martínez, Inspector for the Eixample District of Barcelona City Police (Guardia Urbana).

David Pérez Renovales, Managing Director of Vivaz, the health insurance brand of Línea Directa Aseguradora, who acted as moderator, remarked that “Barcelona is witnessing a huge transformation of its rules on urban mobility amid the surging popularity of personal mobility vehicles (PMVs). The challenge now is to identify the challenges that lie ahead for citizens, government bodies and companies alike as we all seek to combine sustainable mobility with safety and to see what we can do together to replace the most polluting vehicles.”

During the discussions, Ramon Lamiel, Director of SCT, said that “pay-as-you-go PMV insurance and the use of helmets are both key to the kind of micro mobility that the Catalan government is looking to promote", noting also that “this new model turns the pyramid on its head and puts the pedestrian at the centre.”

Meanwhile, Isabel López Riera, Deputy Prosecutor for Road Safety in Barcelona, expressed her support for this new type of insurance: “PMV insurance is absolutely essential if we want this type of mobility to thrive and become a genuine transport model. It is important to remember that traffic victims are compensated because there is always an insurance company operating behind the scenes.”

An accident rate on the rise

The increasingly widespread use of PMVs and the absence of clear regulations has led to a steady increase in the accident rate over recent years. As they are unregistered vehicles for which insurance is not compulsory, there are no official figures on the accident rate, although Línea Directa Aseguradora estimates that in the last three years there have been some 1,300 accidents involving PMV users and at least 16 deaths. 

Meanwhile, in Barcelona, accidents involving scooters have continued to rise, according to figures published by the Safety Department of Barcelona City Council. Between January and June 2019 there were 187 accidents involving at least one scooter, according to the Guardia Urbana. In the first half of 2020 —despite the lockdown— a total of 189 accidents involving scooters were reported, while in the first half of 2021 this figure climbed to 334, up 78% on 2019. More precisely,  the number of scooters involved in traffic accidents through to September 2021 increased by 54% when compared with 2020, reaching 540 accidents. This figure was 349 a year earlier and 489 in 2019.

Barcelona, a pioneer in regulating the use of PMVs

The Catalan capital is currently governed by a Mobility Ordinance that came into force in May 2017 to regulate the circulation of PMVs, the areas where they can be used and the rental of driverless vehicles. This ordinance was amended in April of this year, when Barcelona City Council decided to make it compulsory for users of electric scooters for tourist use to wear a helmet and reflective attire, to ensure that their vehicle has lights and a bell and to take out third party insurance. 

Such is the level of concern about this increase in the accident rate at the city council that Adrià Gomila, Head of the Mobility Service at Barcelona City Council, was quick to point out that “we are now working to update the city's Mobility Ordinance when it comes to PMVs. The challenge is now to prevent accidents and to set up a proper parking system, among other matters.”

As for how to protect the most vulnerable under this new mobility paradigm, Noelia López Martínez, Inspector for the Eixample District of Barcelona City Police, remarked that "training is key to promoting accident prevention. We must educate if we expect this new mobility model to work properly in a city like Barcelona. We are living in a space where we are all at risk and as citizens it is our obligation to be aware of safety rules and behaviours. Therefore, aside from awareness campaigns, the Guardia Urbana is focusing heavily on training and education, from the youngest among us all the way to the oldest, so that everyone is aware of this type of vehicle and how it should be driven.”