E-scooter Christmas present warning
The Warwickshire Road Safety Partnership has joined with Guide Dogs to urge the public not to buy e-scooters this Christmas. It remains against the law to ride a privately owned e-scooter in any public place in the UK.
The partnership says there are also concerns for the safety of e-scooter riders and other road users including people with sight loss.
Inspector Jem Mountford said: “Before you consider buying an e-scooter this Christmas it’s important to know that although you can buy one, it is illegal to use a privately owned e-scooter in any public space including roads, pavements, parks, town centres or canal towpaths for example.
“This means many people will be breaking the law if they use an e-scooter and could put vulnerable road users at risk.”
E-scooters are classified as Personal Light Electric Vehicles (PLEVs) so they are treated as motor vehicles and subject to the same legal requirements such as MOT, licensing, tax and insurance. As e-scooters do not have number plates, signalling ability and don’t always have visible rear lights, they can’t be used legally on the roads.
Warwickshire Police have legal powers to seize e-scooters and prosecute riders and between March 2020 and November 2021 31 e-scooters were seized in Warwickshire.
