The current case of Vivas
Danny Vivas is an apprentice and therefore does not earn much. Nevertheless, he saved his apprenticeship wages for a long time and finally fulfilled a dream: It should be an e-skateboard! With this now Vivas whizzed through Würenlos, but made sure not to turn on the electric drive on the streets. He met two policemen and the fact that he could have turned on the drive brought him a fair sentence. Vivas had assumed that an e-skateboard with the motor switched off was considered a normal skateboard. He was walking on the sidewalk, moving with the strength of his legs alone.
The police allegedly heard an engine noise and could not be convinced that the skateboard would make a similar noise with the engine turned off. They would have let him drive on, but he was summoned to the police station the next day. There the question was whether he had ridden his board, which Vivas answered in the affirmative. He actually rode an e-skateboard, just without a motor.
The result was that Vivas received a penalty warrant stating multiple violations of the Road Traffic Act. The reason: The owner knew that he was not allowed to drive it on public roads and would have done it anyway, but the e-skateboard had no liability insurance and no license plate.
Vivas filed an objection, but withdrew it on the advice of his lawyer. He could not prove that he was right and should now pay the fine. 960 francs were imposed on him, which came from the fine and the administration fees.
The legal situation for e-skateboards
The judiciary sees the matter a little narrower than most owners of modern e-skateboards and hoverboards: They don't care whether an engine is turned on or not. The fact is that it exists and can theoretically also be used.
The problem with these vehicles: they are usually not powered by muscle power, but have a motor. This means they can go up to 15 km / h, and in some cases even reach higher speeds. On the other hand, however, are the liability insurers who are of the opinion that the vehicles are not roadworthy and consequently cannot be insured. This in turn gives rise to the problem: on the one hand, the skateboards are too fast to be classified as children's vehicles, on the other hand, they are still declared as such. Without insurance but no approval for road traffic and so the e-skateboard fans go around in circles.
E-skateboards and hoverboards are therefore only allowed to be used where they do not pose a risk to road traffic, i.e. on private property. Since most skateboarders do not want to be out on bumpy property, but want to use their vehicle in everyday life, there are always violations and violations of the applicable law in Switzerland. The 960 francs imposed on Danny Vivas mentioned at the outset are still regarded as a minimum fine, because at least 400 francs are due for such an offense. The remaining 560 francs can be seen as a processing fee. However, fines of up to CHF 1,200 (plus processing fees) are possible and have already been imposed in the past.
Conclusion: Better to do without e-skateboards and hoverboards in public spaces
E-skateboards and hoverboards should ideally not be used in public spaces, because they are not allowed here even without motor assistance. The law makes no distinction between an engine that is stopped and one that is not in use. So if you don't want to risk a penalty, you prefer to use a normal skateboard and drive the electric fun vehicles only in private space.
