World News for Students of English

07-04-2023 07:00

In 2018, Paris became one of the first cities to introduce e-scooters. But some people say that the scooters do more harm than good.

Critics of the battery-powered vehicles say that they get involved in many accidents. Riders often go at high speed, they move through traffic and often they don’t wear helmets. In Paris, children as young as 12 can legally hire the scooter through a phone app.

The rising number of accidents which involved e-scooters led to a referendum on banning e-scooters. The referendum took place last week and 90% of voters voted against the scooters. But only 8% of eligible voters voted, which means that the referendum has no legal power. It is up to officials how they will deal with the result.

Difficult words: involve (to have something as a part), referendum (a vote in which all the people in a country or area give their opinion on something), eligible (when someone has the right to do something).

You can watch the original video in the Level 3 section.