The aim is clear: the use of an e-scooter, for example under the influence of alcohol, should be prevented - even before the journey begins. The joint road safety campaign by Malzmühle (Malzmühle Schwartz GmbH & Co. KG) and the Cologne police was launched back in February of this year. Based on the "Cologne Basic Law", 15,000 beer mats were printed with various motifs and messages for e-scooter drivers.
The "campaign coasters" were displayed and used in breweries on Heumarkt, as well as at contract partners such as the "Brauwelt" in Kalk, the "Em kölsche Boor" brewery on Eigelstein, the "Wohngemeinschaft" in Richard-Wagner-Straße and other locations.
The prevention campaign has a serious background:
Driving in pairs and/or under the influence of alcohol or narcotics are among the main causes of accidents involving e-scooters. In over 580 cases in 2023, the Cologne police prosecuted the transportation of a second person. The police initiated proceedings over 300 times for driving e-scooters under the influence of alcohol and narcotics.
With this campaign, which was only made possible thanks to the active support of the Malzmühle brewery, the police want to warn against rash driving with e-scooters and raise awareness of the dangers to driving licenses and personal health.
A look at the traffic accident statistics for 2023, with one e-scooter rider killed and 400 injured (60 of whom were seriously injured), shows that there is still a need to educate users of e-scooters, which the Cologne police are addressing with the support of the Malzmühle.
Further striking features in the statistics: 83 of those injured were under the influence of alcohol at the time of the accident and eleven were under the influence of narcotics.
In addition, "illegal road use" was the cause of 59 accidents.
Important information on the topic of "e-scooters" can be found here.
