Retailer fined for displaying non-compliant PMDs
A sports retailer was fined $750 yesterday for displaying three e-scooters at its showroom that did not meet safety standards.
The firm, known as Ning, has become the first retailer to be convicted of an offence under the Active Mobility Act.
Land Transport Authority (LTA) prosecution officer Ng Jun Kai told the court that one of its enforcement officers inspected Ning's premises at the Orion@Paya Lebar building on July 9
The officer found that three of the five personal mobility devices (PMDs) on sale there did not possess the relevant UL2272 certification.
Mr Ng said: "By the act of displaying non-compliant (PMDs), Ning... not only runs afoul of the law, but also entices potential customers to acquire such non-compliant... devices for use on public paths and the circulation of (them) in the market."
The UL2272 requirement was developed by an independent United States certification company.
It specifies a set of safety requirements covering the electrical drive train system, including the battery system, other circuitry and electrical components for motorised PMDs.
Mr Ng told the court that in a ministerial statement in Parliament earlier this month, Senior Minister of State for Transport Lam Pin Min said there were 49 PMD-related fires in the first half of this year, compared with 52 in the whole of last year.
Mr Ng added that the cases might have been caused by an electrical anomaly to the electrical circuitry or batteries.
These could result from various factors such as the overcharging of rechargeable batteries or the usage of an unsuitable charger, which are the risks that the implementation of UL2272 aim to mitigate.
District Judge Lorraine Ho said the selling of non-compliant PMDs was "hazardous".
For committing the offence under the Act, Ning could have been fined up to $1,000. - THE STRAITS TIMES
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