Idiots exist in every country, and some even film the evidence themselves.
A video circulating on social media, particularly TikTok, appears to show a man riding an electric scooter through a tunnel on Madeira’s expressway, reportedly on the section between Seixal and São Vicente.
The footage was recorded using an action camera mounted on the rider’s helmet. According to the person who shared it, the scooter reached a speed approaching 100 km/h.
If confirmed, this would not only represent an extraordinary risk to the rider and other road users but could also raise serious questions about the vehicle’s legal classification.
Under the Portuguese Highway Code, ordinary electric scooters are treated similarly to bicycles only when they meet defined technical conditions, including a maximum design speed of 25 km/h. A vehicle capable of approaching 100 km/h may therefore fall outside the legal definition of an electric scooter and could be subject to different registration, licensing and insurance requirements.
Scooters are also prohibited from travelling on motorways and roads reserved for motor vehicles.
This is far from an isolated example. Similar videos are increasingly appearing on social media, showing riders taking scooters and other two-wheeled vehicles onto tunnels and expressways at high speed, apparently for views and shares.
The footage has attracted criticism from those warning that such behaviour endangers not only the rider but also motorists, who would not expect to encounter a scooter travelling at such speed inside an expressway tunnel.
It also highlights the challenges facing the authorities. Although such incidents may be difficult to detect while they are happening, those responsible increasingly provide their own evidence by recording and publicly sharing their reckless behaviour.
Samantha Gannon
info at madeira-weekly.com
Views: 7
