Woman charged for riding electric suitcase without license
The “vehicle”, or more specifically, the Airwheel SE3 Mobility Scooter smart luggage, is capable of going up to 8 miles per hour (13 kph), however, the police deemed to charge the woman as if she were riding a 50 cc moped or motorbike. While the suitcase is not capable of really being a danger to pedestrians, the reasoning is that Japanese law is quite strict on matters of traffic.
In this instance, Japan’s Traffic Act says that “Anything that does not meet the conditions, even if it looks like an electric scooter, is considered a regular moped or car and requires a driver’s license.” Further, the law explains: “Vehicles that do not meet these standards will not be considered specific small motorized bicycles, even if they have an electric kick scooter or similar shape, and will continue to be subject to the traffic rules according to their vehicle classification.”
The driver of the suitcase was apprehended on March 13, however, the government did not opt to charge her until June 25. Likely, the judiciary was also unsure of whether a suitcase could be thus classified, which would also follow the driver’s logic, who stated: “I did not recognize it as a vehicle and did not think that a driving license was required.”
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