A key road safety group has called on ministers to take immediate action to tackle the growing danger from private e-scooters after it was revealed that 11 people died last year in incidents involving illegal private use.
In a report published today, the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety (PACTS) pointed out that, despite government-backed rental trials, the overwhelming growth in e-scooters has been in private vehicles, which can be legally sold but are illegal to use on public roads and in public spaces. More than one million have been imported to the UK since 2019.
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PACTS said 15 people have now died using e-scooters, including 11 in 2021. All involved illegal use of private e-scooters.
The report calls on the Department for Transport (DfT) to take immediate action to address ‘dangerous’ illegal private e-scooter use and undertake a thorough public consultation before making any decision on the legalisation of e-scooters.
It added that the DfT should also publish the information on the rental trials, as well as undertaking further research, and act against irresponsible retailers and support the police.
PACTS executive director David Davies said: ‘e-scooters are a controversial issue and risks to riders and pedestrians are increasingly apparent.
‘Even if the Government decides on the way forward soon, legislation will not take effect until sometime next year. They should take this opportunity to gather evidence and consult widely – something which should have happened before the rental trials started but was curtailed by the pandemic.’
PACTS said it has collated records from the police, insurers and media for casualties involving e-scooters in 2021, which shows almost 900 casualties, with 20% involving injuries to pedestrians and cyclists.
It said casualty numbers ‘appear high in relation to the distance travelled’, adding that ‘in vital respects e-scooters are different from pedal cycles and should be assessed and regulated based on their own attributes’.
It added that while authorised rental schemes, involving 23,000 e-scooters have operated in 31 areas in England since July 2020 and are intended to provide evidence for new legislation, no information has been published and the government seems undecided on next steps.
Other findings from the report:
- in 20% of crashes, other road users were injured – 75% of these were pedestrians
- 38% of people injured in a collision involving an e-scooter suffered serious injuries – mostly the rider
- of those involved in a serious injury, 68% suffered head injuries or fractures
- 29% of casualties involving an e-scooter are aged 10 to 19 years old, 27% are aged 19 to 29 years old, 78% are male and 82% involve a private e-scooter
- hospital data shows that nearly 70% of casualties e-scooter fall without colliding with another vehicle or object
- results of academic studies show that instabilities caused by an e-scooter’s design poses a risk to riders
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