Lisbon, May 22, 2026 (Lusa) - Portugal's PSD (Social Democratic Party) is set to introduce a bill making the use of helmets and reflective gear mandatory for all e-scooter and e-bike users, with fines for non-compliance ranging between €30 and €150.
The bill, to which Lusa has had access and which will be presented on Friday at a press conference in parliament, aims to amend the Highway Code and strengthen the safety rules applicable to electric micromobility.
In the bill's explanatory statement, the social democrats welcomed the diversification of transport options in Portugal, saying that vehicles such as electric bicycles and e-scooters met the demand for more agile and efficient travel over short and medium distances, were compatible with intermodal transport, and were environmentally sustainable.
"The growth in these vehicles has a direct impact on accident rates," they warn, citing recent data from the GNR (National Republican Guard), according to which, over the last seven years, there have been more than 1,900 accidents involving electric scooters, resulting in ten fatalities, 88 serious injuries and 1,442 minor injuries.
"For the purposes of this initiative, electric micromobility vehicles are defined as motorised bicycles, electric scooters and other self-balancing or self-propelled electric vehicles, including unicycles, self-balancing electric platforms, skateboards and other similar motorised means of transport," they said.
The first amendment to the Highway Code introduces a compulsory helmet requirement for users of these vehicles, which currently applies only to certain categories with higher power or speed.
"The law does not currently establish a general obligation to wear a helmet for users of electric micromobility vehicles classified as bicycles, under the terms of Article 112 of the Highway Code," the bill said, noting that it is difficult for the authorities and users to understand the boundary currently defined.
In other words, for social democrat MPs, the consequence is a degree of uncertainty that is hardly compatible with simple road safety rules.
MPs consider that electric micromobility vehicles have a different risk profile to conventional bicycles, due to their higher average speed, their riding position and the user’s direct exposure.
"Studies link the use of a helmet to a lower probability of head injury and better clinical outcomes in accidents involving electric bicycles," they point out.
The second amendment MPs wish to introduce to the Highway Code involves making the use of reflective materials mandatory at night or in low-visibility conditions for users of electric micromobility vehicles.
"The legislation already sets out requirements regarding vehicle visibility (…). However, there is no separate requirement regarding the rider’s personal visibility in high-risk situations," they said.
The legislation clarifies that this requirement does not entail the use of a high-visibility reflective vest, leaving it to a ministerial order to define the materials required of users of these vehicles from dusk until dawn and whenever, during the day, weather, or environmental conditions render visibility insufficient.
"Depending on the applicable regulations, this function may be fulfilled by reflective elements integrated into clothing, technical clothing with reflective material, or retro-reflective strips or accessories attached to clothing, a helmet or other equipment the driver wears," it explained.
For those who fail to comply, the social democrats propose a minor administrative fine of between €30 and €150.
"The solution is proportionate to the nature of the offences and consistent with the treatment provided for in the Highway Code for offences relating to bicycles," the party concluded.
SMA/MYAL // ADB.
Lusa
