PCC urges parents not to buy their kids escooters this Christmas
Nottinghamshire Police and Crime Commissioner Gary Godden has urged parents not to buy their children escooters this Christmas – as they could be inadvertently gifting them a motoring offence.
Privately-owned escooters are illegal to use on public roads, pavements and cycle lanes and anyone caught using them could receive six points on their driving licence – which could mean an automatic driving ban for new drivers.
Illegal riders could also face a £300 fine and have their escooter seized by police and crushed.
Parents and road users are also being urged to be aware of the law on ebikes, because if they can travel at over 15.5mph without pedal assistance they are classed as motorbikes and would therefore need the vehicle to be registered and insured, and for the rider to have a driving licence and helmet.
PCC Godden has today launched an awareness raising campaign in the run up to Christmas to highlight the law to anyone who is still unsure – and warned those who flout the law that police geared up to take enforcement action to keep the streets of Nottinghamshire safe.
“The illegal use of escooters and ebikes is an issue that causes a great deal of concern for people, particularly in the city but also in towns across Nottinghamshire,” said PCC Godden.
“I fully support the view that private escooters and illegal ebikes have no place on our roads, as they can be dangerous to pedestrians and road users, and the riders themselves, as well as being anti-social and even frightening and intimidating when they hurtle along on what should be safe public spaces.
“Many people will have had their own experiences of seeing ebikes and escooters being driven dangerously and, unfortunately, there have been a number of serious injuries and fatalities involving these vehicles in Nottinghamshire.
“I know that there are still some people out there who may not be aware of the subtle difference in the laws on ebikes and escooters and for those people, I want to help raise awareness.
“I am asking any parents thinking of buying their children an escooter or ebike for Christmas to be ‘e-smart’ and take responsibility for reading up on the law – because if you don’t, you could be inadvertently gifting your child with a motoring offence or even putting them at risk of serious injury.
“If you cause serious harm to another person while rising an ebike or escooter, the incident will be investigated in the same way as if you were rising a motorcycle or driving a car.
“My message to anyone who fails to obey the law is that Nottinghamshire Police are ready to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with local communities and take action to seize illegal vehicles and prosecute riders.”
PCC Godden urged people to report issues to their neighbourhood policing teams, who are dedicated to working with residents to put problem-solving plans in place -and reporting incidents helps them gather the necessary information to put resources in the right place at the right time to have an impact.
“Please don’t assume that someone else has reported it, or that the police don’t care about ebikes and escooters,” said PCC Godden.
“If it matters to local people, it matters to us and the police will work with you to tackle problem areas and protect local residents.
“A number of recent police operations have already taken place where ebikes and escooters were seized, and there are currently a number of neighbourhood policing teams who have identified this issue among their top three priorities.
“Wherever issues are identified through reporting, the police will try to educate people and enforce against those who break the law.”
One of the most prevalent areas for illegal escooter and ebike use is Nottingham city centre, due to the high numbers of people who travel there.
Sergeant Dan Butler has been leading efforts by the city centre Neighbourhood Policing Team to tackle this issue.
He said: “This is an issue we are taking extremely seriously in the city centre and our teams are being very robust in their actions towards the use of these illegal bikes and escooters.
“We have been really proactive with policing this issue because members of the public have reached out to us on a regular basis about their concerns.
“There are safety issues with them being ridden on pedestrianised areas, not taking notice of red traffic light signals and generally being a nuisance and a menace to our city centre communities and people who are using the city.
“Rest assured they are going to be interacted with by the police. The police are going to speak to them, take their details, and their ebike or escooter will be seized and they will face the consequences of being reported for summons, or being issued with a traffic offence report form, which could result in them going to court.”
- For more detail on the law around escooters and ebikes, click here.