Interesting point I heard on YouTube
Why allow rentals and not private during the corona virus . Rentals will have other people’s germs etc on it whereas the private ones won’t
I’ve found the same. The bikes seem to be really badly maintained, and the electric motor doesn’t seem to give much power. I used the Jump bikes for a while while are so much better. A new one called “Human Forest” has just popped up which lets you ride for 20 minutes per day for free - been meaning to give it a try. Anyone else tried them?
Because they want to ensure they are all insured?
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Could they not start requiring insurance for private ones and reg plates ?
Rentals will have insurance whereas private ones won’t.
The entire point of the rental trial is so that the government can work out the proper legal framework for private users.
How many people will pay attention to that? How many currently pay attention to the fact their use is illegal in most places?
Then there’s the issue of needing a driving licence. How many people currently unlicensed?
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They could, but it’s easier to enforce if a rental company needs permission to operate. Insurance can then be necessary for permission to be granted.
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I’ve long been in agreement with you on this but I think that there’s a number of factors to be considered.
- They’re only illegal due to our current laws, some of them very old.
- They do appear to be one solution to urban congestion issues.
- They’ll reduce pollution compared to conventional vehicles.
- Their increasing popularity suggests that their legalisation is assured.
The Govt is taking a pragmatic view and the rental trials are a good way to test their use before defining the legislation.
The other issue you have is that the police forces have lost in excess of 20,000 police officers and even more police staff. They have to prioritise what they attend and I suspect that this issue falls as a lower priority.
Either way, some of the idiocy I’ve seen by people on these machines reinforces the requirement for clearly designed legislation. Whether that helps, I’m unsure. All the food delivery mopeds round here have terrible trouble understanding the Highway Code.
This is a great point. Remember, the insurance isn’t just about loss or damage, the requirement for insurance is actually to insure you against third party risks. This is a requirement of the Road Traffic Act 1988.
That means all those privately owned e-scooters driving around at the moment are uninsured. That’s six points and £300 minimum for the offence of no insurance.
I agree. 
I thought they’d be less chance of getting stopped because so many use them in big cities ?
On contrary, Simmy. City of London Police and Metropolitan Police have both undertaken operations targeting people on e-scooters due to their illegality.
I think some of this was after the death of Emily Hartridge when she was involved in a collision.
That said, I don’t know if they continue to actively have operations on this anymore?
It’s a pretty risky buy then if you were to buy one privately now without knowing how all of this is going to settle.
Hopefully people do their research before they spend all that money on one!
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Not according to the statistics. It was only around the time that unfortunate event took place
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Certainly is. I bought it full well knowing the potential implications. So if anyone does say anything then It’s me who’s at fault
I think most people who buy them have done some research.
Statistics from FOI requests show virtually no enforcement, with a tiny uptick back in 2019 over a two week period. Those that were confiscated were mostly due to aggravating circumstances. Data from Germany also indicates death and injury rates are no higher than cycling.
Clearly there’s a risk when you buy one and use it, but it’s a very low risk. My house was recently burgled and the police were not in the slightest bit interested, so I’m sure they don’t have time to be worrying about enforcing an antiquated law that’s going to be changed very soon anyway!
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It’s dangerous how little you realise about what you’re doing.
The next time you’re outside and you see someone running towards you, imagine stepping infront of them and how much that would hurt you, with them hitting you at full force?
And they are probably doing about 7mph.
They seem to be the latest chav accessory around here, hopefully there will be more laws etc and Police can confiscate them.
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A collision with a push bike would hurt just as much, no ?
It’s the future, you can either move with the times or stay stuck in the present
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Cyclists are far more sensible and are 99% of the time on the road, not like the idiots on scooters.
It’s not about “moving with the times”, you didn’t want one 50 posts ago!
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Fair point .
The reason they’re illegal isn’t because they’re ( aparrently) unsafe
It’s because they have are electric and therefore cant be on the pavement
And they’re not allowed on the road because of no tax/mot/insurance
Yeah we have already covered this. After doing lots of reading and looking at statistics they’re fine providing you ride safely
Hence why I bought one
Initially I was the same as a lot of you, “ oh they look dangerous “ until I read articles , watched YouTube videos and looked at statistics