Over the last year there has been a sharp increase in the number of e-scooter accidents that have occurred on our roads.
Their popularity has risen since the e-scooter rental schemes and trials were set up around the UK. However, a lot of people are unaware that it is currently only rental e-scooters that can be ridden legally on public roads. With regards to personal electric scooters, whilst they are legal to own in the UK, there are a lot of restrictions around where they can be used and currently personally owned e-scooters can only be used on private land with the land owner’s permission. It is effectively illegal to use them on public roads, pavements, cycle lanes and pedestrian only areas. The government is planning to legalise the use of privately owned e-scooters on public roads and it is estimated that this will lead to an influx of up to 750,000 e-scooters on our roads.
The number of e-scooter accidents requiring an ambulance doubled between 2020 – 2021 and tragically in June 2022, the UK’s first pedestrian death caused by an e-scooter happened when a grandmother was hit by an e-scooter rider while she was walking along the pavement. It is important to note that it is illegal to ride an e-scooter on any kind of pavement.
Here at FJG we have also seen an increase in e-scooter accidents and we feel that there is a lot the government can do to help reduce the risk of these accidents occurring. Some of the suggestions that have been put forward are to have mandatory safety helmets, stricter speed restrictions and increased visibility.
At this moment in time, the current government trial scheme in England and Wales only restrict e-scooters to speeds of 15.5 mph but there are concerns that the speed limit on private e-scooters can be tampered with to raise this further. In addition, it is important to ensure that all e-scooters have lights and reflectors to make them more visible at night. Both cars and cycles must have visible well-maintained lights on the front and rear at night to ensure that others can see them in the dark and it seems only reasonable that the same rules should apply to e-scooters to prevent accidents at night or in low visibility situations.
If you or someone you know has been involved in an accident, please contact Rhian Lowe on 01206 835269 or email [email protected] for some free initial advice.