Ahead of the festive season, Derbyshire Police have issued a reminder to members of the public buying e-scooters as a gift this year. With their use ongoing in both Derby and Nottingham as part of a public trial, they are being seen by some as a commodity that can be openly used, when the reality is that they are, in fact, otherwise illegal to use on public streets outside of the two cities.
Currently it is illegal to use an e-scooter on public roads with riders running the risk of their scooters being seized and seeing themselves facing criminal charges.
E-scooters are classified as personal light electric vehicles, (PLEVs), so they are treated as motor vehicles and subject to the same legal requirements, such as an MOT, license, tax and insurance, and as they do not have any signalling ability and don’t always have visible rear lights, they can’t be used legally on the roads.
Derbyshire Police have said that, if you do buy a scooter, then it can only be used on private land. If it is used on a public road then the rider runs the risk of having their scooter seized and being prosecuted for offences like driving without a licence and insurance, dangerous driving and, if they are drunk, for drink driving.
If you do want to use an e-scooter then you can do so in both Derby and Nottingham City Centre, which are part of the national trial for their use on public roads.
To find out more about the Derby city centre e-scooter trial click here.
For more information about e-scooters, along with other forms of transport that are currently banned from public use, here: Powered transporters - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)