Kids riding ‘wrong way’ on busy road
CHILDREN have been caught on camera putting their lives at risk by riding their scooters the wrong way down a dual carriageway.
A driver has shared footage from his dashcam of the youngsters who were playing on their scooters close to the city’s Swansea.com Stadium.
The driver said he was taken aback by the dangerous activity and had spoken out in the hope the youngsters’ parents take action.
The man, who did not want to be named, said: “This is a still taken from my dashcam. As I was travelling up the dual carriageway by the stadium I came across this. It was kids riding their scooters the opposite way.”
It is against the law to ride e-scooters on public roads unless they form part of a governmentbacked rental trial scheme.
Although people can buy and sell them, they fail to comply with the regulations for motor vehicles.
South Wales Police has drawn up a list of guidance over e-scooters and said: “All road users have a responsibility to do so carefully and with respect for others, and our teams do take action against those responsible for illegal driving every day.
“E-scooters have a maximum permissible speed of 15.5mph. There is nothing in legislation permitting the use of e-scooters limited to 5mph on a road or public place.
“The scooter may be seized, and you could be liable to be prosecuted.
“You could be liable to prosecution for allowing a child to ride otherwise than in accordance with a licence, or with no insurance.”
Local police inspector Judith Martin said: “E-scooters are only legal to ride on private land with the landowner’s permission, or as part of a government trial – which is not taking place in South Wales.
“Riding an e-scooter in public, when it is not part of an authorised trial, is against the law and can result in penalty points, a fine and the vehicle being seized.
“We’re aware that people are buying e-scooters in the mistaken belief they can legally use them on public paths and roads.
“This is not the case and people are inadvertently breaking the law in this way.”
She added: “Many e-scooters have a maximum speed of 15.5mph and some are able to exceed this, which can be dangerous for the rider and pedestrians if they are involved in a collision.”