Ministers are being urged to ban gross sales of electrical scooters till it turns into authorized to journey them on the roads.
Simon Foster, Police and Crime Commissioner for the West Midlands, has written to Transport Secretary Grant Shapps warning of extra deaths and severe accidents with out a crackdown.
In his letter, seen by the Mail, he manufacturers the contraptions ‘a menace’ and says they’re more and more turning into a drain on police sources.
Privately-owned e-scooters are unlawful to journey on the roads.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps (pictured) has been urged to ban gross sales of personal electrical scooters till it’s authorized for them for use on roads
But retailers are promoting them in report numbers with few questions requested and are even selling them as a handy means of getting round.
It means police are left pulling over a whole lot of riders to clarify the legislation and doubtlessly arresting them for driving a motorcar with out insurance coverage or a licence.
Mr Foster mentioned West Midlands Police pressure has alone recorded greater than 400 incidents lately.
Many of those concerned younger thugs driving dangerously, equivalent to on the pavement, or utilizing e-scooters to commit crimes.
One man, Shakur Amoy Pinnock, 20, died of great head accidents in June after the e-scooter he was driving collided with a Volkswagen Golf in Wolverhampton.
Simon Foster (pictured), Police and Crime Commissioner for the West Midlands, has written to the Transport Secretary warning of extra deaths and severe accidents with out a crackdown
Solely e-scooters in government-backed trials, which customers sometimes pay to hire per minute, are authorized and contain licence checks and different measures as a situation of use to make sure a sure stage of security. The units are restricted to fifteen.5mph and permitted solely on roads or cycle lanes, not pavements, in round 50 cities and cities throughout the nation.
Ministers have delayed making a call on whether or not to legalise privately-owned e-scooters on the roads till summer season 2022.
However Mr Foster mentioned their sale must be banned till this choice, together with a brand new regulatory regime, is introduced.
His letter to Mr Shapps mentioned: ‘Clearly the laws and regulatory regime across the sale and use of personal e-scooters is unfit for goal.
‘In future, privately owned e-scooters have to be licenced, regulated and acceptable well being and security measures put in place.
‘Till we attain this level, we’d urge you to ban the sale of personal e-scooters so we do not see additional accidents or deaths on our roads.’
It added: ‘As you’ll be conscious, personal e-scooters are legally bought and purchased, however they’re a menace on our roads, pavements and in our parks.
‘They’re inflicting issues for pedestrians, motorists and police; to not point out a substantial well being and security threat for the homeowners themselves.
‘It’s due to this fact disappointing to see so a lot of them being bought to prospects who haven’t any place to journey them.’