Hopefully they can role out the rental schemes very quickly and people that want to responsibly use these will be able to safely. That’s an obvious win all round for me.
Once that is in place I expect everyone who’s just decided they’re above the law will find themselves being stopped and fined. I think there’s been an over abundance of tolerance/leniency from the police but this will stop now the rules are very clear. To be honest playing with an electric scooter seems a really stupid thing to risk your driving licence on to me!
Yup, but seems the evidence they’ve received so far has been more supportive of treating them like EAPCs (rather than motor vehicles), which I think is probably where we’ll end up once the trial has ended.
I suspect it will make it almost impossible now for the police to enforce restrictions on privately owned scooters, and they will only enforce if someone is riding like an idiot.
I don’t think it does at all. The law is the law. The police still have the option to uphold it against privately owned scooters regardless of any trials. Gov has been clear that the trial relates to rental only. Very clear.
I agree with you, though, police are only likely to enforce it when riders acting like complete idiots.
I agree. It’s pretty strange when you think about it. You’re essentially giving corporations (foreign investors hoping to create monopolies) the legal right, but not the public.
Not to mention that the people that own these, don’t clutter up the street, as they carry them into the home or office. They keep them better maintained and don’t pass on any Covid germs either!
The way I interpret it is that this is a controlled way of testing the use of the devices and making temporary provisions in law until such time that the Gov can best work out how the privately-owned vehicles can be sensibly legislated for.
In relation to insurance I read this as the provider will sort that out. “1) E-scooters in trials need to be covered by a motor vehicle insurance policy - it is understood rental operators will ensure a policy is in place that covers users of the vehicles.” In which case if you’ve a driver’s licence you’re good to go.
I think insurance is the main reason. Rental companies must ensure each scooter is insured - much harder to police if individuals are responsible for insuring themselves, especially as these scooters do not have registration plates.
I’m sure that alternative insurance models may also work.
In reference to motor vehicles (cars, say), in the UK a car is usually insured on its registration number with named people permitted to drive. ( There are variances and exceptions to this but that’s typically how it works in the UK )
In Europe, I understand the model is different. It’s normally the car being insured for anyone to drive provided they have the permission of the owner.
E-Scooters, whilst classified as motor vehicles, don’t conform to Construction & Use Regs as they don’t have number plates.
It’s feasible, perhaps, that in the future people might take out insurance to insure them to drive any e-scooter. That way, the driver is insured without tying them to a particular machine (without a registration number). That arrangement might be easier to check that drivers are properly insured.
I’m not suggesting that will happen, just theorising one way that might work.
I rarely read the daily mail if at all but it popped up earlier ( too Tory and sensationalist for me )
They blow out of proportion the two people in the world who have been sadly killed . What about the pedestrians, cyclists , drivers who get killed each day ?
I wonder what are the requirements to operate such a rental business. Can you run a company, buy a scooter & insurance as the company, then rent it to yourself?
