Many urban drivers encounter scooter users multiple times a week
Zubat Car Buyback Comparison, a comparison website run by Web Crew Co., Ltd., conducted a survey on car drivers’ attitudes toward electric scooters. The survey targeted 1,088 men and women living in urban areas of Sapporo, Tokyo’s 23 wards, Nagoya, Osaka, and Fukuoka who drive at least three days a week and have seen electric scooters. The results showed that 53.4% of respondents saw electric scooters on the road “several times a week,” and 22.3% of those said they saw them “almost every day,” suggesting that the spread of electric scooters in urban areas is accelerating.
However, according to statistics from the National Police Agency, the number of traffic violations involving electric scooters is expected to exceed 20,000 by September 2024, and delays in legal frameworks and safety education for the rapidly increasing number of users have become a serious issue.
Approximately 80% of drivers have experienced danger, with the most common being “passing cars in front of other cars.”
In the survey, of drivers who had seen an electric scooter on the road, a whopping 77.3% answered that they had had a close call or felt it was dangerous. In terms of the specific circumstances, the most common response was “It was slipping through between cars” at 69.1%, followed by “It suddenly came out of an alley” at 53.4% and “It was running a red light” at 48.6%.
Furthermore, a variety of dangerous behaviors were cited, such as “driving the wrong way,” “moving between the sidewalk and the road repeatedly,” “operating a smartphone,” and “turning off lights,” and many people reported feeling frightened by the sight of the scooters driving unsteadily on their thin tires and sudden lane changes. Some of the comments included specific anecdotes such as “I was about to overtake when they suddenly appeared from my blind spot, giving me a fright,” and “They crossed the intersection as if they were going out of control,” making scooters a risk that drivers cannot overlook.
Over 60% of people are worried about sudden lane or lane changes, and many want a driver’s license to be made mandatory
The most common concern about electric scooters was “there is a possibility that they may suddenly change lanes or directions” at 64.3%, followed by “there are many situations where it feels like traffic rules are not being followed” at 58.5% and “there is a risk of losing balance and falling or colliding with other vehicles” at 56.3%. Some people also said that they are small and prone to getting into blind spots, and that they are difficult to see at night even with the lights on, making their very existence a cause for concern.
In this context, for the sake of safe coexistence, the majority of drivers (57.8%) answered that “a license or training course should be required for the use of electric scooters.” In addition, many also said “safe driving instruction should be made mandatory” (52.9%) and “enforcement of violations should be strengthened” (47.9%), with the results showing a strong desire for strengthened legislation and operation.
The most common self-protective measure taken by drivers is to “keep a sufficient distance”
The survey also asked drivers about the safety measures they themselves take into consideration. The most common answer was “keeping a sufficient distance from the electric scooter” at 72.7%, followed by “slowing down” at 38.2% and “predicting the rider’s movements from their body position and gestures” at 35.8%. This suggests that drivers are proactively keeping a safe distance and driving carefully to avoid danger.
However, 6.1% of drivers said they “don’t pay any particular attention to it,” so awareness is still low in some areas. In addition, drivers have made specific suggestions such as “the licensing system should be the same as for mopeds,” “penalties should be strengthened and the fine system should be more thorough,” and “there should be a clear distinction between riding on the sidewalk and riding on the road,” and there is a strong demand for future legal regulations and infrastructure development.
Web Crew’s survey reveals future challenges: A necessary step towards safe coexistence
Web Crew, which conducted this survey, operates the car purchase comparison site “Zubat Car Purchase Comparison,” which has 328 participating companies nationwide, and is also known as a platform for used car distribution. The survey was conducted in May 2025 among 1,088 urban drivers, and the gender ratio was 69.9% male and 30.1% female, with an average age of 47.4 years, capturing the opinions of a wide range of people.
The survey results clearly showed that car drivers have high concerns about the rapidly increasing use of electric scooters, and strongly called for a licensing system, stricter compliance with traffic rules, and the creation of dedicated lanes. For cars and electric scooters to coexist safely, it is essential to quickly develop both systems and infrastructure. It is hoped that surveys like this will help improve transportation policies and educate users.
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