Legal tangle of e-transport

I have bought an e-bike; I never thought I would but you know how it is, the age thing is beginning to bite.

Having got it, I am beginning to find that e-bike culture and relative law is very complex.

Our law as applied to e-scooters and e-bikes, hoverboards, go-peds, powered scooters, powered and segways is varied and complex. For example, do the riders have to wear a helmet?

I understand that the max speed is 15.5 mph on road but only 4mph on pavements and pedestrian zones.

Of course, if you travel on road, even with a scooter, then you need a driving licence, vehicle tax, third party insurance, a full set of lights (front and back), a rear-view-mirror, an audible warning device (bell or similar) and so on.

E-scooter and e-bike riders cannot carry a child unless on their machine, perhaps, a baby in a specially designed back-pack. Both types of ‘vehicle’ must have a dual (independent) braking system.

Then there is an age limit. It would be necessary to find out where a taxed powered transporter can and can’t be used, and how that relates to age. At what point are riders obliged to have passed a driving test, and carry a licence?

Otherwise they are governed by the regulations in the Highway Code.

I wonder just how many e-powered transporters are fully aware of all the legal complications that apply.

Ted Prangnell