E-Scooters - Know the law

On Friday night Officers were patrolling Stainforth and Dunscroft when they saw two young children riding an E-Scooter. Officers followed and found they had ridden into a dead end.

On speaking with the children it turned out they were 10 years old, not wearing any safety equipment and completely oblivious they had a Police car behind them.

Officers had just witnessed them narrowly avoid a collision with a car only a few minutes before being stopped.

They were very apologetic and respected the Officers advice around their actions. A quick lift home and a discussion with parents will hopefully be the only intervention required on this occasion.

Please understand the requirements when riding an E-Scooter

Owning your own e-scooter

It's not currently possible to get insurance for privately owned e-scooters. This means it’s illegal to use them on the road or in public spaces, such as parks, street pavements, and shopping centres.

If you use a privately-owned e-scooter in public, you risk the vehicle being seized under S.165 Road Traffic Act 1988 for having no insurance. 

If you cause serious harm to another person whilst riding an e-scooter, the incident will be investigated in the same way it would if you were riding a motorcycle or driving a car. 

Where you can use your own e-scooter

If you own an e-scooter, you can only use it in on private land, such as in a garden. But you must have the permission of the landowner to do so.