Official calls for training to ride e-scooters following surge in demand

There has been a surge in popularity of both public hire and privately owned e scooters. Credit: PA images

A police and crime commissioner is calling for electric scooter users to be given training before being allowed on UK roads. 

Mark Shelford, the PCC for Avon and Somerset, has convened a National E Scooter Safety Advisory Group. 

The group will work to address safety concerns and challenges following the rapid rise of the use of e-scooters across the UK.

It hopes to consider new legislation and enforcement, including a way to identify scooter users in case of an accident, as well as lobbying for training for riders ahead of use. 

The group will also work to raise public awareness around a number of safety issues - including the risks posed by lithium batteries and charging equipment.

E-scooters have divided opinion - with some seeing them as an alternative to public transport, while others view them as dangerous eyesores. Credit: AP

Bristol, Bath and South Gloucestershire is the location of the biggest trial of public hire e-scooters in the UK. 

Currently, there is no legislation governing the use of e-scooters and the group will focus on lobbying central government and increasing public awareness of issues surrounding them.

The group includes representatives from policing, fire and rescue, trading standards, government departments, academic research bodies and scooter hire companies.

PCC Shelford, chair of the National E Scooter Safety Advisory Group, said: "The issues we face with the use of e-scooters are many and varied. We know the use of scooters can be a polarising subject amongst the public. 

"There is no doubt it is an environmentally sustainable form of transport but we must ensure that they are used and managed in a way that does not endanger lives."

By December 2022 there were an estimated 1.3 million e-scooters on UK roads. Many can reach speeds of more than 20mph. 

There is currently no legal age restriction on the use of scooters, although many private hire firms limit use to over 18s in possession of at least a provisional driving licence.

In 2022 there were 1,402 collisions in Great Britain involving e-scooters, compared to 1,352 in 2021.