Estonian police identify youths who left e-scooters on a highway
Estonian police have identified three young men who deliberately left electric scooters on a 70 km/h road near Keila. The scooters' owner, Hoog Mobility, has temporarily suspended operations in the area.
Estonia's Police and Border Guard Board (PPA) has identified three young men who deliberately left electric scooters on a section of the Paldiski Highway near the town of Keila in northwestern Estonia. The speed limit on this stretch is 70 km/h. Hoog Mobility, the company that owns the scooters, has temporarily suspended its service in the area.
The first report reached police in late September, when a scooter was found lying on the road by the Mudaaugu bus stop. Hisko Vares, head of the investigation unit at the Lääne-Harju Police Station, said police were notified of similar cases 10 times over the course of the month. In one instance a car hit a scooter, but nobody was injured.
The investigation
Police gathered further information from residents, but the work was complicated by a lack of surveillance cameras nearby. As far as police know, there were no eyewitnesses either. In the end, three men aged 17, 18 and 24 were identified.
Vares stressed that deliberately leaving objects on the road is extremely dangerous. In his words, hitting a scooter in the dark at such speed could end very badly. The PPA has opened misdemeanor proceedings, during which the exact circumstances will be established.
The company's response
Rudnevs Drevor, a management board member at Hoog Mobility, told ERR that these were not incorrectly parked scooters. According to him, the vehicles were in a parking area and locked, but someone deliberately carried them onto the highway. The company calls it vandalism that endangers the lives and health of drivers. Rudnevs said nothing like it had happened before and that the incidents were confined to one area.
Several of the company's scooters were damaged, though he did not say how extensive the damage was. As a precaution, the company has temporarily removed its parking areas in the region. Rudnevs thanked local residents who shared their observations.
