A new law being drafted in Dubai could make parents legally responsible when their children misuse electric scooters — whether the minors harm themselves or put others at risk.
Lieutenant General Saif Muhair Al Mazrouei, Assistant Commander-in-Chief for Operations at Dubai Police, said the legislation is being developed alongside strategic partners including the Roads and Transport Authority as part of a wider push to regulate micromobility devices across the emirate.
“These means are no longer merely recreational tools; in some cases, they have become a real source of danger threatening road users’ safety,” Al Mazrouei said.
Among the draft law’s key provisions is a mandatory registration and number plate system for electric scooters, intended to prevent their use in criminal activity including theft and to allow authorities to track devices used in residential and commercial areas.
The proposal also targets illegal modifications. Al Mazrouei said many scooters are bought legally but later altered at external workshops to exceed safe speed limits — in some cases reaching up to 120 km/h. He described allowing minors to operate such vehicles as placing a dangerous tool in their hands.
The legislation comes after a significant spike in enforcement activity. Dubai Police’s “Our Roads Are Safe” campaign resulted in more than 14,094 fines issued to electric scooter and bicycle riders, with a separate 17,117 violations recorded involving motorcycles. A three-week crackdown saw nearly 1,750 scooters and bicycles confiscated.
Al Mazrouei added that Dubai Police Commander-in-Chief Abdullah Khalifa Al Marri has directed sustained focus on behaviors that endanger children and road users, driving ongoing awareness campaigns alongside enforcement operations.
