The Knesset plenum on Wednesday night approved in a preliminary reading a bill to amend the Transportation Directive such that license plates will be required for electric scooters and bicycles, Kikar Hashabbat reported.
The bill, put forward by MK MK Etty Hava Atia (Likud) was approved in a 9-0 vote. It will now go to the Economics Committee for approval.
The bill was attached to a bill proposed by MKs Yakov Asher and Moshe Gafni, both of United Torah Judaism. It echoes a bill put forth by Asher in 2021.
The amendment proposes that the Licensing Authority create and manage a database of information containing a registry of individuals who own electric bicycles or electric scooters. It also proposes requiring that no one ride an electric scooter or electric bicycle which does not bear a license plate.
"In recent years, we have been witness to tens of thousands of two-wheeled electric vehicles, such as electric bicycles or scooters, being used on the roads," the bill's introduction states. "These vehicles have the ability to move at a faster speed than similar vehicles which are not motorized, and as a result, many pedestrians, as well as many riders, are injured in traffic accidents."
"In order to deal with this danger and fight the many traffic crimes which are committed by these vehicles and which endanger human lives, various legislative amendments have been made. At the same time, despite these legislative amendments, the change in the driving culture has been minor due to the difficulty in enforcement of vehicles which do not bear any means of identification.
"A comprehensive study which was recently conducted showed that 62% of the youth who ride on electric bicycles have been in an 'near-accident.' This statistic shows a lack of adequate enforcement and a dangerous driving culture for these vehicles, despite the laws and amendments which aimed at regulating their use."