Regulations coming for e-scooters to curb deaths and injuries
The government has revealed that it is committed to regulations for e-scooters, following a number of deaths and serious injuries. A specific announcement has not been made at the time of writing, but it has pledged to look for “legislative reform for micromobility vehicles” as part of its recent Advanced Manufacturing Sector Plan.
Shared transport charity CoMoUK hailed what it referred to as “excellent news,” adding that regulations would “end years of confusion about the legal status” of e-scooters.
The latest figures from the Department for Transport (DfT) reveal that six e-scooter riders lost their lives in crashes in England in 2023, while a further 416 people, 343 being users and 52 pedestrians, were seriously injured.
The Royal National Institute of Blind People, a sight loss charity, has previously shared its concerns over e-scooters being ridden on pavements, saying that this could “force blind and partially sighted people to step into the road.” This would put them at a risk of being hit by a car.
Britain has previously been labelled an “outlier” among developed countries due to the banning of private e-scooters from public spaces, though they are often used illegally. Legal trials of e-scooter hire schemes on roads have been ongoing across parts of England since July 2020.
A DfT-commissioned study published in December 2022 found that the vast majority of residents in trial areas have seen users of e-scooters engaging in anti-social behaviour, including performing dangerous stunts and even racing one another.
However, the Government’s planned Advanced Manufacturing Sector Plan includes a commitment to encourage an increasing usage of e-scooters.
“We are … pursuing legislative reform for micromobility vehicles when parliamentary time allows, to provide a proportionate and more agile process for regulating low-speed zero emission vehicles (LZEV) likely including pavement delivery robots, e-scooters, and last mile delivery vehicles,” it said. “Creating a clear route to market will drive the investment and usage in these new vehicles, unleashing businesses from the current regulatory burdens and kickstarting economic growth.”
Regulations of private e-scooters may require riders to pass a test and have insurance, and manufacturers may be required to limit the speed of the vehicles.
“Successive Conservative governments dragged their feet while a black market of e-scooters has been allowed to take over our streets,” according to a Government source. “E-scooters can be a great way to get around but they must be properly regulated, safe for pedestrians as well as riders, and we must ensure they cannot clutter up our streets. This Government will act where the Tories failed to do so – legislating to crack down on illegal use to make our streets safe and accessible for everyone.”
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