Is this new commuting tool popular? Traffic police remind you to drive directly into the office building media | wheelchair | office building

Recently, the video of "driving an electric wheelchair to work" has attracted attention on social media. Young people frequently use electric wheelchairs on campuses, canteens, and shopping malls. After experiencing it, consumers shared their feelings: comfortable to sit, not only able to drive electrically, but also able to use it flat as a bed for commuting, it's really fragrant!

This phenomenon has caused a lot of discussion among netizens: some people feel that riding an electric wheelchair is convenient and comfortable, as long as safety supervision is in place; Some netizens also expressed that electric wheelchair travel affects road smoothness, occupies public resources, and is not worth encouraging.

Why are these young people eyeing electric wheelchairs? Does using an electric wheelchair violate traffic regulations?

Is the electric wheelchair commuting hot?

"Youth has no price, wheelchairs go directly to Lhasa" "Who knows, commuting in electric wheelchairs is so popular among family members"... Recently, on short video social media platforms, videos of young people traveling in electric wheelchairs have exploded on the internet.

In the video, young people control electric wheelchairs and shuttle in groups between roads, scenic spots, shopping malls, and even office buildings.

The electric wheelchair in the picture moves flexibly and freely. At the workstation, some wheelchairs can not only achieve automatic folding, but also fold down with just one click to become a mobile sofa.

However, many of the videos posted by accounts use the same copywriting and similar scenes, almost all of which are "a lady living in XXX, only two kilometers away from work, decides to drive an electric wheelchair to and from work..."

In the comment section, some netizens expressed that electric wheelchairs are not limited in number, do not require helmets, and do not require license plates. They are feasible, can sit, and can lie down, truly in line with "ergonomics".

However, some netizens also believe that electric wheelchairs are designed for people who are inconvenient to travel, and that using them for healthy people will occupy public space and cause traffic congestion.

Image sourced from the internet

After becoming a hot topic of discussion, the trend of electric wheelchair commuting has also spread to e-commerce platforms such as Taobao and JD.com.

The Chao News reporter searched for electric wheelchairs, and the most displayed on the page were single person electric wheelchairs labeled as lightweight and foldable, followed by double person and off-road electric wheelchairs.

The price of products generally ranges from 1500 yuan to 4000 yuan depending on their functions and mileage, with some high-end products priced above 15000 yuan.

On the product homepage, many consumers have raised questions such as "Can college students use it?" and "Can commuting work be done?".

According to customer service inquiries from Chao News reporters, due to the recent popularity of short videos, the number of people inquiring about commuting issues with electric wheelchairs has significantly increased.

The driving speed of an electric wheelchair is divided into 5 gears, ranging from 1.2 kilometers to 6 kilometers per hour. The speed in these 5 gears can be adjusted freely, but the fastest speed is also similar to walking fast.

When the reporter continued to ask, can electric wheelchairs be used on the road? The answer is not uniform. Some customer service representatives replied that they can go on the road, and many people buy it for commuting; Some customer service representatives remain noncommittal, only emphasizing that electric wheelchairs are slow to travel, while others directly give a negative answer.

Is it really fragrant or is it hyped up?

Compared to the lively onlookers on social media, it seems that there hasn't been much hype offline.

Guo Xinyi, the general manager of Situokang Technology Co., Ltd., which is deeply involved in the field of elderly commuting vehicles, told the Chao News reporter that he has indeed seen many short videos related to electric wheelchairs recently. However, in the past half month, the majority of people who come to the store to inquire about electric wheelchairs are still elderly people, or young people who buy them for families with limited mobility. There are very few customers who want to buy them for commuting.

At the same time, he also does not recommend using electric wheelchairs as a means of transportation for commuting. "Electric wheelchairs themselves are positioned for elderly care and disability assistance. On the one hand, their speed is relatively slow, and on the other hand, their ability to cross ditches and thresholds is limited. Currently, most cities in China need to improve their accessibility, and many places are still inconvenient to travel."

How does it feel to use an electric wheelchair? Car evaluation blogger Xiaozhi recently posted a video on social media, in which Xiaozhi experienced an electric wheelchair that can not only climb hills and drift, but also has the same model as "Wandering Earth 2", which is very cool and has a good experience.

But regarding the phenomenon of commuting with an electric wheelchair, he said that he was considering buying an electric wheelchair for transportation because he had suffered a waist and back injury recently and was unable to bear walking for a long time.

He believes that for specific groups such as the elderly, electric wheelchairs are a great accessory, but for healthy young people, driving an electric wheelchair is not very meaningful. "A good electric wheelchair is not cheap, and secondly, its speed is relatively slow. If a wheelchair is modified for the sake of 'racing', it is still relatively dangerous."

Image sourced from the internet

So, how long will this online craze last? Why does electric wheelchair commuting hit the hearts of young people?

Jin Kai, Deputy Secretary General of Hangzhou Transportation Association, believes that using electric wheelchairs to travel, work, and travel has overturned the public's perception. The reason why it has attracted attention in a short period of time is partly due to the helpless actions taken by some citizens under the electric vehicle restriction policy in some cities;

On the other hand, young people have a mentality of pursuing fashion and curiosity, but this may only be occasional for a small group of people, and electric wheelchairs will not become a means of transportation for the public.

For many videos with similar scenes and texts, Liu Huan, Deputy Secretary General of the China Elderly Electric Scooter Industry Association, said that this is a means for businesses to hype up marketing.

Are there any violations or laws on the road?

Is it illegal to drive an electric wheelchair on the road? According to the traffic police of Huzhou City, electric wheelchairs are classified as medical devices rather than non motorized vehicles according to regulations. They are generally suitable for short distance transportation in indoor and courtyard environments and cannot be driven on the road.

According to Article 119 of the Road Traffic Safety Law of the People's Republic of China, "motor vehicle" refers to a wheeled vehicle driven or towed by a power device, used for personnel transportation, transporting goods, and carrying out special engineering operations on the road;

"Non motorized vehicles" refer to transportation vehicles driven by human or animal power on the road, as well as disabled motorized wheelchairs, electric bicycles, and other transportation vehicles that, although driven by power devices, have a designed maximum speed, empty weight, and external dimensions that comply with relevant national standards.

Electric wheelchairs are not disabled motorized wheelchairs and are prohibited from driving on the road. If disabled motorized wheelchairs are used on the road, they need to register with the traffic management department.

The behavior of driving electric wheelchairs and even modifying cars to race wheelchairs, which is popular online, poses great safety risks.

In February of this year, a road traffic accident occurred at the intersection of Nanxun District and Fuzhen Town in Huzhou City, where an electric wheelchair collided with a car.

An old man, without a family member, was driving an electric wheelchair on the road and ran a yellow light. When he crossed the intersection, he happened to be in the blind spot of a car turning, and the car crashed straight into the wheelchair. The old man and his wheelchair were pushed out two meters by the car, and he fell heavily on the ground with his face down.

In short, any emerging thing needs to be viewed rationally and cannot blindly follow the trend. At the same time, the problems reflected behind the use of electric wheelchairs also urgently require the whole society to form a joint force, further improve traffic management level, improve road supporting facilities, and better meet the daily commuting needs of citizens.