Drunk drivers and dozens of accidents caused by electric scooters: Odesa region tops the list of regions with the highest number of accidents
E-scooter riders in the Odesa region are increasingly involved in accidents. Over the past year and a half, they have caused 23 road traffic accidents — the highest figure among all regions of Ukraine. In the Mykolaiv region, only three such accidents were recorded during the same period.
This is according to data from OpenDataBot analysts, as reported by NikVesti.
Accidents caused by electric scooter riders. Infographic: OpenDataBotOdesa region has become the clear leader in the number of accidents caused by e-scooter riders — 11 cases in 2025 and a further 12 in the first five months of this year.
For example, in Odesa, a court fined an electric scooter rider 17,000 hryvnias after he was found to have a blood alcohol level of 0.65 per mille. Another Odesa resident, who was arrested for the second time in a year for driving under the influence, was fined 34,000 hryvnias and banned from driving for three years.
In total, over the past year and a half, Ukrainian courts have heard at least 132 such cases. In 104 cases, or almost 79%, the drivers of electric scooters were found to be at fault for the accidents. In June of this year alone, there were 38 such accidents.
Accidents caused by e-scooter riders. Infographic: OpenDataBotAmong the most common offences are collisions with cars, hitting pedestrians and fleeing the scene of an accident. It is also not uncommon for scooter riders to be caught driving under the influence.
It should be noted that almost one in three cases that reached court involved teenagers. In total, minors were involved in 38 of the 132 cases considered.
The courts are increasingly emphasising that electric scooter riders are full participants in road traffic and must adhere to the rules just as motorists or cyclists do. In particular, they must cross pedestrian crossings on foot, rather than riding across them on a scooter.
Meanwhile, the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Transport and Infrastructure has recommended that parliament adopt draft law No. 3023, which is intended to regulate the use of electric scooters, monowheels and other light electric vehicles in Ukraine for the first time.
The bill prohibits riding whilst under the influence of alcohol or drugs, using a mobile phone whilst riding, and requires the use of lights and reflective elements during hours of darkness. There are no plans to introduce separate driving licences for electric scooter users.
It should be noted that in 2024, 71 court cases involving electric scooter riders were registered in Ukraine.