The Andalusian Consultative Council has dismissed four claims received from the province of Cordoba concerning electric scooter accidents. The riders of these personal mobility devices sought compensation from the city councils of the capital (three cases) and La Carlota (one case), primarily citing the poor condition of the roads. These cases, which involve significant amounts (over 50,000 euros), were backed by the municipal rejection proposals.
The body rules that not all functioning of public services generates patrimonial liability, only when it is the determining factor of the damage. It recalls that a scooter is a vehicle and that the user must exercise a higher level of diligence, especially since they were formally defined as vehicles in 2021, moving them from sidewalks to the roadway.
The four rulings, issued between 2023 and 2025, corresponded to cases from the City Councils of Cordoba and La Carlota, with claimed compensation ranging from 25,000 to 133,128.19 euros. In total, 27 cases over six years in Andalusia amounted to 1,227,415 euros, with only one prior claim involving a minor on a bike lane being upheld.
The highest claim, 133,128.19 euros, was dismissed as being filed out of time. Another case for 45,938.31 euros concerning an alleged pothole was rejected, considering the minimal unevenness and recalling the special diligence required for scooters on roads designed for other vehicles.
A third rider claimed 30,000 euros for failing to sufficiently prove the circumstances of her fall or provide evidence. The last claim for 25,000 euros, for slipping on mulberries from a tree, was dismissed as the rider could have avoided the obstacle and that city councils are not "universal insurers".
The number of claims has grown in parallel with the expansion of scooters. 55.5% of cases relate to the condition of public roads (potholes, holes), followed by issues with drains. 63% of those injured were men and required hospital assistance.
