Are e scooters legal in Scotland

What exactly is an e-scooters?

scooters with two wheels and tiny electric motors.

As a result of their increasing popularity, scooter-sharing programmes are now available in more than 100 cities worldwide, including San Francisco, Paris, and Copenhagen.

E-scooters can be rented by individuals, often through smartphone apps, in a way identical to city centre bicycle rental programmes.

Electric scooters range in price from just over £100 to more than £1000, and they are easily bought in the UK both online and in physical stores.

In the UK, are e-scooter legal?

Right now, you can purchase one, but you are not allowed to use it on a UK public road, cycle lane, or sidewalk. Anyone who does so is in violation of the law.

An electric scooter may only be used on private property with the owner’s consent.

They are now categorised as Personal Light Electric Vehicles (PLEVs), meaning they are considered motor vehicles and must adhere to all relevant regulations, including those pertaining to MOT, tax, licencing, and particular construction.

And therefore, they cannot be used legally on the roadways because they often lack rear red lights that can be seen, number plates, or the capability to signal.

Although e-scooters are battery-assisted pedal cycles, the law concerning e-bikes currently does not apply to them, the government is expected to regulate them in a similar manner in the future.

Regular scooters, or those without engines, are permitted on roadways but not on sidewalks or bike lanes.

Can I be penalised for riding an e-scooter?

If you use an e-scooter that you own on a public road, cycle lane, or sidewalk, you may receive a fixed-penalty notice for £300 and, if you have a licence, six points on it.

How safe are they?

Electric scooters have a top speed of 30 mph (48.3 km/h), but many are only capable of 15.5 mph (24.9 km/h).

The first accident involving an electric scooter in the UK is believed to be television presenter Emily Hartridge.

Although there are no reliable numbers on global accidents and fatalities, there have been some studies:

• Since 2018, at least 29 individuals have died in e-scooter incidents, according to a report by the business news website Quartz in February 2020.
• Since the fall of 2018, according to an estimate from the Associated Press in June 2019, there have been 11 f o fatalities in the US.
• E-scooter-related hospital admissions in the US more than doubled between 2014 and 2018, according to researchers at the University of California.
• Some e-scooters only have one brake, which makes stopping safely more challenging.

Please visit our SGT Law Firm website to learn more.