Japan has recently seen a sharp increase in the number of people being caught riding electric scooters under the influence of alcohol, amid the growing popularity of the vehicles.
According to KYODO NEWS, Electric scooters, resembling skateboards equipped with handles, have become widespread in metropolitan areas through rental and sharing services as a cheap and easy mode of transportation, including for people who have missed their last trains but do not want to pay for taxis to get home.
In Tokyo, police investigated 39 drunken-driving cases linked to e-scooters in the nine months through September, up from just one case in the whole of last year.
Japan revised its traffic law in April, scrapping the need for a license to ride e-scooters with a maximum speed of 20 kilometers per hour as well as the requirement for users to wear helmets.
