E-step or kick scooter? What the Herentals teenager's crash should teach parents in Flanders
A 14-year-old girl on a step was injured in a collision in Herentals, according to Het Nieuwsblad's Kempen desk. The early reporting was thin, but the incident is a useful prompt to get clear on what Belgian law actually says about children, kick scooters and e-steps — and the simple gear and habits that keep a routine ride from ending in an ambulance.
Parents, guardians and teenagers across Flanders routinely use steps for school and short trips, yet many families are unclear whether their machine is legally an e-step and what age and equipment rules apply. A single injured-child bulletin is a reminder that the practical difference between a kick scooter and an e-step — and the gear worn — can be the difference between a scare and a serious injury.
A 'step' in Dutch can mean either a non-motorised kick scooter or an electric step (e-step). In Belgium the two are regulated very differently. Kick scooters carry no minimum age and are treated like pedestrians/cyclists. E-steps, since a federal reform effective 1 July 2022, require riders to be at least 16, permit only one person per device, ban pavement riding above walking pace, and must use cycle lanes where available. The federal mobility service (mobilit.belgium.be) and the Wegcode/Code de la route set these rules; the Vias institute publishes the safety data. Herentals is a town in the Kempen region of Antwerp province, Flanders.
Background
Belgium left e-steps lightly regulated during their rapid rise in the late 2010s, then moved to tighten the rules as injury numbers grew. A federal reform effective 1 July 2022 introduced the current framework: a minimum age of 16 for e-steps, a one-rider limit, a pavement-riding ban above walking pace, and mandatory use of cycle lanes where present. Non-electric kick scooters were left outside these restrictions.
What to do
Check first whether your step is electric or not, and apply the right rule (no age limit for kick scooters; age 16 for e-steps as of 2026). Fit a helmet for children, ensure working lights and reflective clothing, keep to one rider on the cycle lane rather than the pavement, and verify current rules at mobilit.belgium.be and wegcode.be.
Impact
Regional — Herentals and the wider Kempen are typical of Flemish towns where steps are common for the school commute. Local police zones and the Antwerp public prosecutor handle traffic-incident follow-up, and Flemish municipalities including Antwerp have been introducing parking bays and speed-limited zones for shared e-steps.
Opposing perspectives
- Vias institute and road-safety campaigners
Road-safety researchers argue that e-steps should be treated as vehicles, with firmer enforcement of the age-16 minimum, mandatory helmets for minors, and better lighting rules, pointing to a rise in step-related injuries among young and evening riders as the machines have proliferated on Flemish streets.
- Micromobility operators and e-step retailers
Operators and retailers stress that steps are a cheap, low-emission way to cover the last kilometre and ease car dependence, and warn against blanket restrictions after individual incidents; they favour rider education and infrastructure such as protected cycle lanes over tighter age limits or bans that would penalise responsible users.
- Flemish municipalities and local police zones
Town authorities and police zones, including in the Kempen and Antwerp, must balance mobility against street safety, and have leaned toward practical controls — designated parking bays for shared steps, speed-limited zones and awareness campaigns — arguing that enforcement of the existing federal rules, rather than new ones, is where the gap really lies.
Sources & evidence
- View sourceHet Nieuwsblad (regio Kempen / Herentals)Primary· nieuwsblad.beRetrieved 17 July 2026
- View sourceFOD Mobiliteit en Vervoer — e-step / voortbewegingstoestellen· mobilit.belgium.beRetrieved 17 July 2026
- View sourceWegcode.be — Belgische verkeersreglementering· wegcode.beRetrieved 17 July 2026
- View sourceVias institute — verkeersveiligheid· vias.beRetrieved 17 July 2026
