A recent survey in London has predicted a significant rise in road accidents in connection with the government’s new Transport Bill, set to legalise private e-scooters.
New research conducted by Super Soco, an electric motorcycle company, has revealed the danger e-scooters are posing to riders and pedestrians.
The survey found that 69% of e-scooters being used in commuting and busy tourist routes around London exceeded the maximum proposed speed for e-scooters, meaning that if the current proposals were enacted into law, these e-scooters would remain illegal.
The audit was carried out in three areas of London: Whitehall, Millbank and Embankment and Clapham and recorded the number of e-scooters travelling in these areas and the speeds they were travelling at.
The average speed of e-scooters recorded was 17mph – above the supposed limited top speed of 15.5 mph; and the maximum speed recorded was 24mph – 55% above the supposed top speed.
Current laws mean that e-scooters are banned from being used in public, whether this is on roads, pavements and cycle lanes, unless they are part of a trial scheme.
The National Federation of the Blind UK (NFBUK) has expressed concern over the government’s new Transport Bill which is set to legalise e-scooters this year, saying they are not safe for pedestrians, especially those that are deaf, blind and visually impaired.
The PACTS report, released in March 2022 and funded by the Road Safety Trust, demonstrated that e-scooter speed has a significant impact on number and severity of head injuries suffered by e-scooter riders. It also showed that e-scooter use was displacing use of active travel (cycling and walking) and public transport, as opposed to replacing car use. Overall, e-scooters were found to cause 12 times more injuries per kilometre than bicycles, and 2.5 times more than motorcycles, including those that can travel at over 200 mph.
Commenting on the research results and the proposed legalisation of e-scooters, Richard Jordan, CEO at Super Soco UK and GreenMo UK said:
“It was recently revealed, that last year there were 931 casualties in accidents involving e-scooters; of these 732 were riders. This fits with the data from across Europe, and will rise significantly if private e-scooters are legalised. Furthermore, the majority of the current fleet of e-scooters will remain illegal even if the Government does pass the new laws in the form currently proposed.
“We urgently need the Government to cease pursuing what was the latest fad a few years ago but is increasingly being seen across the rest of Europe as an expensive, unsustainable, highly dangerous form of transport. E-scooters are significantly more dangerous than any other form of personal transport, including high-powered superbikes!
“In the UK we have a chance to leapfrog this unnecessary stage in the evolution of personal transport and move directly to a safer, more sustainable model.
“We operate the Go Sharing platform in 5 countries in Europe, using shared e-bikes and low-powered mopeds. Out of 1.5 million rentals in the first quarter of this year, we recorded only 114 accidents involving damage to our vehicles, with injury rates anticipated to be far lower than this; a far lower rate than e-scooters.
“There is clearly a need and demand for personal transport that is green, cost-effective and safe. We already have thousands of vehicles on the road throughout Europe that are proven to be much safer, more reliable and more sustainable as a means of transport than e-scooters. Having delayed the trials and consultations for so long, the Government now has the opportunity to learn lessons from our neighbours and start on the right foot.”
