Ankara, Jul 31 (IANS): For people living in Turkey's big cities, the electric scooter has become essential to their everyday lives as it offers an alternative to public transport amid the Covid-19 pandemic and the soaring fuel prices.

But as the two-wheeled electric vehicle proliferated on the streets, so did the traffic accidents, which sparked a debate in Turkey over their safety, Xinhua news agency reported.

Between April 2021 and June 2022, eight people were killed and 899 others injured in the country's accidents involving e-scooters, according to official data.

In a crash on July 12 this year, a 23-year-old woman lost her life after being hit by a car while riding an e-scooter on her way home. The accident happened in Istanbul, Turkey's largest city with more than 16 million people where traffic is a daily problem.

The debate over their safety forced the government to impose regulations on e-scooters in 2021. Under the regulations, e-scooters can only be used by people at the age of 16 and above and are allowed only on bicycle lanes.

In places without bicycle lanes, they can be used on motor vehicle roads with a speed limit of 50 km per hour. Any violators are subject to fines.

"Scooters entered our lives as a facilitating tool. They offer a solution as an eco-friendly transport device. Their benefits can not be ignored," Yigit Dedeoglu, a road safety expert from Istanbul, told Xinhua.

"But on the other hand, they entered our daily lives too fast. Therefore adaptation to this new device has not come accordingly," he added.

Dedeoglu suggested new safety measures such as basic and formal road security instructions for all e-scooter riders and the compulsory wearing of security gear such as helmets and knee and elbow pads to prevent major injuries.

"It is impossible to ban altogether e-scooters because micro-mobility is our future. New regulations should be imposed for more safety," the expert noted.