The Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation proposed to extend driver status to users of personal mobility devices and introduce mandatory licenses for them. Dmitry Astashkin, a senior inspector of the Main Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee, announced this at a meeting in the Federation Council. The changes will require amendments to the law "On Road Safety".

Personal mobility devices include electric scooters, gyroscooters, Segways, and unicycles. Currently, they are allowed to be used from the age of seven. The Investigative Committee proposes to raise the age limit to 16 and prohibit movement on sidewalks, pedestrian zones, and paths. To do this, the concepts of "driver" and "mechanical vehicle" need to be clarified in the traffic rules. Then scooter users can be held administratively and criminally liable for causing harm to health.

Statistics confirm the urgency of the problem: in the first half of 2026, the number of accidents involving personal mobility devices in St. Petersburg and the Leningrad Region doubled, and across Russia, it increased by almost 40%, to 3.4 thousand. The Ministry of Internal Affairs plans to register devices through "Gosuslugi" by analogy with vehicles; compliance with the rules will be monitored, including by photo and video recording cameras.

Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin instructed to prepare proposals to restrict the movement of personal mobility devices on sidewalks.