In a sustainably safe traffic the number of vehicle types must be as limited as possible for reasons of recognizability and predictability. If the Segway were admitted to public roads, it should use the bicycle path rather than pedestrian areas or the pavement alongside the road for safety reasons. In that case both vehicle and rider must meet certain legal requirements. This is what SWOV concludes on the basis of a study it made of the consequences that are to be expected if the Segway were allowed on public roads. The study was commissioned by the Dutch Ministry of Transport, in preparation of a discussion about the position of the Segway in the traffic system by the Transport Commission of the Dutch parliament.
The Segway is an electronically driven, self-balancing vehicle with two parallel wheels. Users lean forward to make the Segway go forward, they lean back to make it go backward. Steering is done by leaning the handlebar left or right. Hanging backwards switches from forward drive to reverse, and causes the vehicle to brake. In the Netherlands, the Segway is not allowed on public roads at present, because it does not have the required type-approval.
Practical test: Segway riding not more difficult
A SWOV test in a closed area showed that test riders manoeuvred the Segway equally well and had the same reaction time to unexpected events as in a three wheeled mobility scooter or on a bicycle. The three wheeled mobility scooter was used as a comparison for the Segway on the pavement (with a maximum speed of 6 km/h) and the bicycle was used as a comparison for the bicycle path (maximum speed 20 km/h). Riding the Segway required no extra mental effort.
Segway on the pavement: more casualties among the opposite party
The safety consequences of the Segway introduction have been estimated by once more using the three wheeled mobility scooter and the bicycle as a starting point. In crashes involving these vehicles, approximately 90% of the casualties are among the riders themselves, and 10% is among the opposite party. If the Segway were to be allowed on the pavement, we expect an increase in the number of casualties among the opposite party, also when the maximum speed is set at 6 km/h. The cause is that the Segway-rider is expected to be younger than the rider of a three wheeled mobility scooter and will have a hastier riding style. At higher speeds than 6 km/h, and this will often be the case in practise, more casualties are to be expected.
Segway on bicycle path and road: hardly any effect
We do not expect the Segway to cause more casualties on the bicycle path, and, where necessary, on the road, than the bicycle. This is based on the assumption that the maximum speed of the Segway is 20 km/h. Although the Segway is heavier than the bicycle, its centre of gravity is very low. A possible crash with a bicycle will therefore have very limited consequences for the opposite party. However, the larger mass of a Segway will cause more material damage in an incident than a bicycle.
Legal requirements for vehicle and rider
If the Segway were allowed on bicycle path and road, a number of legal requirements for vehicle and rider would be in place. SWOV recommends a compulsory basic training and a minimum age of, for instance, 16 or 18. SWOV is of the opinion that the Segway rider can best be qualified as a 'rider' because of the priority rules that will then be valid. Furthermore SWOV recommends fitting the vehicle with a bell, lights, and reflectors, and to make third-party liability insurance compulsory. SWOV considers the necessity of wearing a helmet as being the same for a Segway rider as for a cyclist.
The report ' Road safety consequences of allowing the Segway on public roads' (R-2007-6) is available on www.swov.nl under Research, Publications. The report is in Dutch, but has an English summary.
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