Some 10 percent of Amsterdam scooter drivers are uninsured

Nearly 10 percent of scooters in Amsterdam do not have third-party liability insurance, according to license plate research by action group Scootervrij. That amounts to around 2,500 uninsured scooters driving around in the Dutch capital. Scootervrij urged Minister Mark Harbers of Infrastructure to increase the fine for uninsured scooter riders, Parool reports.

Scootervrij examined 300 to 400 scooters in each of the four large cities, entering their license plates into the RDW to check for insurance. In Amsterdam, 8.9 percent of scooters are uninsured. Rotterdam came next with 5 percent of scooters having no third-party liability insurance, followed by The Hague with 3 percent, and Utrecht with 2 percent.

Third-party liability cover is mandatory for all motor vehicles in the Netherlands. It covers material damage and personal injury in the event of an accident. Much research shows that scooter riders are relatively often involved in accidents. Nationally, one in eight accidents involves a scooter, while only 0.7 percent of the kilometers traveled by motor vehicles are by scooters, according to Statistics Netherlands.

Scooters are three times more likely to be uninsured than other motor vehicles, Scootervrij wrote to the Minister. “Strangely enough, the fine for scooter owners is lower: 420 euros for scooters, while it is 450 euros for other motor vehicles. As a simple first step, you can increase fine,” the group wrote.

Because the fine is so low, there is no incentive for scooter riders, who are often teenagers, to get insurance, Scootervrij said. “It is impossible for a 16-year-old from Amsterdam to take out third-party insurance for a new scooter that is cheaper than the fine of 420 euros. The annual insurance is regularly even more expensive than 1,260 euros: three times the fine.”