E-scooters

Hello all

This isn't the first time that I have had to send a reminder out about the law and e-scooters but unfortunately here we go again!

Now, for those who think we are the ‘fun’ police, you're not seeing the bigger picture, the law is the law but in the case of e-scooters and as far as I'm concerned, safety of all road users is my main concern including those who are riding them, albeit illegally.

It is common knowledge that e-scooters and other such ‘vehicles' are not permitted for use in public and can only be ridden on private land with the land owner's permission, this is not new news.

The vast majority of e-scooter riders that I see on the Marsh are children and when I have seen them for the first time (if they stop for me), I normally inform their parents (reminder of the law) and sometimes take the scooters to their home to take away the temptation of riding them when I leave. I have taken this approach to be fair (2nd time seen and it will be seized) but also because they're not cheap and I like to give people the opportunity to either ride them on private land only or sell them and get another but legal alternative.

However, this appears to have been ignored by most and I am seeing more and more so unfortunately for those e-scooters I now stop, I will be seizing them without a second chance, child or adult rider.

Riding an e-scooter in public is the equivalent of driving a car with no insurance, MOT or tax as they are classed as one of the same and before the armchair lawyers on Facebook start shooting me down in flames, I don't make the laws, I enforce them.

On a serious note, the way I have seen the scooters being ridden, the safety of (mainly children) is at stake as they think that they are invincible, equally is the safety of pedestrians and other road users, so safety is the number one drive behind these immediate seizures.

Second to that if one of these scooters crashes into your vehicle causing damage, you have no other insurance policy to claim against because e-scooters cannot be insured to be on the roads so anyone that is fuming at my post because you don't agree with me and the law I suspect that you'd be fuming much more if one of these damaged your vehicle.

I'm not trying to be flippant but the message about e-scooters needs to be driven home (no pun intended!)

Parents/guardians, if you know that your child has access to an e-scooter whether that be because you bought it for them, they saved up their pocket money to buy one or you know that they ride their mates one, you have got to tell them to stop with immediate effect mainly for the safety reasons I have pointed out.

Anyone with a driving licence that gets stopped riding an e-scooter in public will be reported for at least not having third party insurance which comes with a £300 fine and six penalty points, as I said, it's the same as driving any vehicle on the road without insurance that requires an insurance policy.

Thank you for your attention and understanding with this.

Steve.