Police have seized 33 e-scooters this year
ILLEGAL TO USE THEM IN PUBLIC THROUGHOUT THE COUNTY
POLICE have seized more than 30 e-scooters so far this year after officers caught their owners riding them illegally.
Riders have caused a number of collisions – in one case, severely injuring six-year-old Leicester boy Jamie Smith – and been involved in a number of near-misses.
The 33 vehicles were confiscated between the start of the year and the beginning of July, a Freedom of Information Act request to police has revealed.
The force said last year its officers seized eight e-scooters, while in 2019 none were taken from their riders.
In August last year, Jamie suffered a fractured skull after being hit by an e-scooter rider in Leicester.
The teenager riding the e-scooter near Saffron Lane was later sentenced to 12 months’ youth custody.
Speaking after the sentencing hearing, Pc Kieran Dempsey, from the Roads Policing Unit, said: “As this case has demonstrated, electric scooters are dangerous vehicles in the wrong hands and are illegal to use both on the road and in public areas in Leicestershire”
“Jamie was left with significant injuries which were initially believed to be life-threatening.
“Thankfully, he has made a physical recovery but it was an extremely difficult time for him and his family. In Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland, it is illegal to use an electric scooter on a public highway.
“If you use an e-scooter illegally you could face a fine, get penalty points on your licence and the e-scooter could be impounded.
“If your actions result in someone being injured, as in this case, you could face prosecution.”
Police said it is legal to use an e-scooter on private land as long as you have secured the landowner’s permission.
Transport minister Rachel Maclean has said: “As we emerge from lockdown, we have a unique opportunity in transport to build back in a greener, more sustainable way that could lead to cleaner air and healthier communities.
“E-scooters may offer the potential for convenient, clean and cost-effective travel that may also help ease the burden on the transport network, provide another green alternative to get around and allow for social distancing.
“The trials will allow us to test whether they do these things.”