Hi Resident

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Christmas is upon us and this post it to remind you that some items sold online and in store, do not make it immediately obvious where you can use them. Please read the below and think hard before buying one for yourself or a child.

E-Scooters are classed as a Personal Light Electric Vehicles (PLEV). Under current laws they are the same as a car or motorbike, this would mean you need a driving licence and then insurance, tax, MOT, licence plate, etc which you are not able to obtain.

You can only use them in private places, not on a road, pavements and car parks.

There are many other types of PLEVs, including Segway's, Hoverboards and off road electric bikes.

This is the current law, there are scooters you can hire and use which are dotted around the Island. These are covered under a separate section and they are still being trailed in England.

Your PLEV will be seized and there is a set fee for recovery of the vehicle. There will be issues with insurance, tax, MOT and your driving licence. You risk losing your licence and various fines. Having no insurance is 6 points and £300 alone.

From a policing perspective, using them on pavements and going the wrong way down roads is a danger to pedestrians and road users. Accidents happen, if you are driving like this with no insurance and hurt someone, you could face criminal and civil court cases.

Having seen them used in other country’s that are much bigger than England, the infrastructure is in place with a vast amount of space. Here, especially on the Island the space is a challenge and more work needs to be done if they are to become legal one day. This includes how they will fit in with the road network, legislation and public knowledge.

E-Bikes, or Electrically Assisted Pedal Cycles (EAPCs) are different and are legal to use on the roads, you do need to be 14 and over.

No one in the emergency services wants to turn up to a preventable incident, especially where a child has been hurt or killed because they are using an e-scooter in a public place.

I read online about the public being frustrated with them, we do seize them. The same drink/drug driving laws also apply when using one. We have had persons convicted on the Island.

Image from Greater Manchester Police

Sgt Radford