Sales of e-scooters have grown dramatically in recent times, and this trend is set to continue with power-assisted cycling becoming increasingly popular, particularly among those looking for an easy, cheap and sustainable way of travelling to and from work, visit friends or explore a city. However, it is clear that electric scooters have created new safety concerns, one of which is the risk they pose to pedestrians.
As the number of e-scooters active on UK roads and pavements continues to rise, pedestrians are exposed to the danger of being run into by inexperienced and irresponsible riders, with the risk of serious injury heightened by the speed at which power-assisted scooters can travel. While e-scooters have engines that are set to automatically switch off at speeds above 15.5mph, the speed limiter can be relatively easily disabled by private owners, meaning that many e-scooters are used in public areas at much higher speeds.
There also remains confusion about where e-scooters are legally allowed to be used, with different rules applying to rental e-scooters and private e-scooters, and reckless riders illegally using the vehicles on pavements and in pedestrianised areas like shopping centres. With the government seemingly planning to legalise the public use of privately-owned e-scooters in the near future, dangerous e-scooter use is likely to continue to pose a risk to pedestrians for some time to come.
If you are a pedestrian who has been injured in an accident involving an e-scooter, contact our firm for expert legal advice from solicitors who have experience of e-scooters and have recently handled e-scooter accident claims:
