Organisation
Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety (PACTS)
Amount awarded
£40,000
Completed
March 2022
Uploaded to Knowledge Centre
12 April 2022
Background
Electric scooters (e-scooters) have been in widespread use in cities in Europe, North America
and elsewhere since around 2017.
Under UK law, e-scooters are classified as motor vehicles. Although it is legal to sell them, it is almost impossible to use private e-scooters legally on roads or in other public places.
Spurred on by the COVID-19 pandemic, the UK Government decided, in July 2020, to permit e-scooter trial rental schemes in England. These schemes, which now involve 23,000 e-scooters in 31 areas, are being monitored by the DfT which has stated that it wants to introduce legalisation to permit wider use of e-scooters, using the trials as the evidence base. However, the trials have now been extended to November 2022 and no report or legislative proposals have been published.
Meanwhile, despite the illegality of their use, a far greater growth has occurred in ownership and use of private e-scooters; as many as 750,000 may now be in use. These private e-scooters differ from rental e-scooters in that their construction and use is not managed as in rental schemes.
As no official assessment of the nature or safety of private use was being undertaken, PACTS proposed this study which The Road Safety Trust agreed to fund. Its purpose has been to provide contemporary data and recommendations to inform the ongoing debate and legislation, should the UK Government decide to proceed.
Recommendations
This report recommends that the DfT:
• Takes immediate action to address dangerous and illegal private e-scooter use;
• Undertakes a thorough public consultation before making any decision on the legalisation of e-scooters;
• Commissions further research; and,
• If the Government decides to legalise use of private e-scooters, it should adopt
regulations for their construction and use as set out below:
• Maximum possible speed of 12.5mph (20km/h)
• Maximum continuous rated motor power of 250 W
• Anti-tampering mechanisms should be included in construction. Tampering should be prohibited by law
• Minimum front wheel size of 12 inches (30.5cm) and minimum rear wheel size of 10 inches (25.5cm)
• Two independently controlled braking devices, one acting on the front wheel and one acting on the rear wheel
• Lighting to be mandatory at all times
• Maximum unladen weight of 20kg
• An audible warning device to be mandatory
• Helmet wearing to be mandatory
• Riding on the footway (pavement) or footpath to be prohibited
• Rider age limit of at least 16 years
• Carrying of a passenger to be prohibited
• Drink driving, dangerous or careless riding, and handheld mobile phone use to be prohibited
• In-person rider training and third-party insurance are recommended.
Whatever legislation is proposed, it is important that the police retain their current road traffic policing powers, provisions, and offences in respect of e-scooters.
Download the report from the Road Safety Trust website: