Legalising e-scooters for use on public roads could help save more than 44,000 tonnes of CO2 a year in the UK – the equivalent to the emissions produced by 29,000 passenger cars every year, according to new analysis.
According to Move Electric, more than one fifth of drivers polled said that they’d consider substituting short trips with an electric scooter if it was legalized in Britain.
However, there are serious safety concerns about scooters. This claim is made as reports indicate that privately owned e-scooters may be allowed to roam the streets ‘within 12 months’.
Department for Transport statistics show that during 2013, 131 pedestrians sustained injuries from e-scooters.
Air pollution could be reduced if private e-scooters are legalized. A study claims that 22% of drivers would trade their cars with them in short trips, saving 44k tons of CO2 per year.
At the moment, e-scooters can only be legally used as rental vehicles in certain public areas.
London was the latest UK area to test e-scooters in this year’s trial. It joined over 30 areas of Britain, including Bristol, Newcastle and Bournemouth, which already have rental programs.
However, there is a growing demand for e-scooters to be legalized by the government.
Transport Committee of MPs called on e-scooters being legalized on roads (but not pavements) to assist those with poor backgrounds in avoiding the costs of driving licences, reduce vehicle emissions and speed up journeys.
London Cycle Campaign (LCC), which supports them on public roads has also supported them, stating that they provide a cleaner, lower-carbon alternative for those who cannot or won’t ride.
A majority of drivers also stated that an e scooter would be legal in the UK if it became legal.
A survey of 5,078 drivers found 22 per cent would consider swapping their car for an e-scooter on journeys less than a mile long if e-scooters were legalised, which could have a positive impact on air pollution, especially in big cities.
Department for Transport data indicates that 0.43 Percent of UK car journeys are less than one mile. That’s equivalent to 29.1 Miles worth of trips for each vehicle in the UK.
If 22 percent of UK drivers used an electric scooter to make these trips, the carbon dioxide emissions would be 44.261 tons.
Move Electric says that this is equivalent to 821 swimming pools of Olympic size every month.
A poll revealed that 45% of drivers support legalizing e-scooters. However, 79% of the people supporting legalization would prefer to have them insured and taxed before they can be operated by riders.
42% of respondents to the survey believe that e-scooters can be a solution for urban areas and cities to reduce their air pollution.
The awareness of local authority trials for escooters is also high. 86% of the respondents were aware that they cannot be operated only on private property or in trial area areas.
Yet just last week, the Association of British Insurers Due to the number of injuries that can be caused by an electric scooter, we urge consumers not to buy one as Christmas gifts.
Some 31 per cent of people have witnessed an accident involving an e-scooter colliding with a car or pedestrian, according to data from More Than Insurance.
A further 83% reported that they saw e-scooters riding on pavements, though this isn’t allowed.
The ABI encourages people to think twice about buying a gift for someone else.
Although e-scooters will be popular as a Christmas gift, users should be aware of the dangers.
James Attwood (editor at Move Electric) commented on the results of the study and said, “The Government is currently supporting Local Authorities in UK to conduct escooter trials, to understand how they might be incorporated into the existing transport system.
“While many drivers are still skeptical about e-scooter usage, one in five would be willing to consider short-car journeys being replaced by one.
Although car trips under one mile only account for a tiny fraction of all miles traveled, replacing them by an electric scooter could lower local pollution.
One in five drivers are already keen to make the change, which could result in more than 44,000 tons of CO2 being saved each year. That’s equivalent to taking over 29,000 cars off our roads.
“While it’s important for the government to consider both safety of escooters as well as issues like tax and insurance, they should continue the conversation about possible ways to improve the quality of local air.
For petrol and diesel engines, short trips are particularly inefficient as they only achieve peak efficiency when their sophisticated CO2 cleansing technology reaches their ideal operating temperature. This can often take minutes.
Their engines are less efficient on shorter journeys than one mile.
E-scooters drivers could have problems with their car insurance
Grace Gausden, ThisisMoney
More Than also warned drivers to be careful if operating one of the scooters, as this could have an impact on their insurance policy.
The police were bringing in an increased number of IN10 convictions for car insurance policyholders who drove without insurance and used an escooter owned privately while driving in public.
Convictions in IN10 must be disclosed to insurers. This can affect the future terms and conditions of policies, and may make it more costly to obtain future insurance.
Motorists don’t know that riding illegally on an e-scooter can have an effect on your car insurance
Matthew Avery (chief strategic research director), Thatcham Research added, “Before the mobility advantage of e–scooters is realised, regulation must be urgently implemented.”
“E-scooter riding, even if it is not done quickly, could prove 100 times more dangerous than riding on a bicycle. It will still pose a risk to riders, pedestrians and drivers as well as people with disabilities.
It is illegal for an e-scooter to be driven on public roads, except in the case of the government.
“While safety features such as e-scooters are not yet mandated by regulations, gifting one to someone you love this Christmas could result in them being either in an ambulance or police car.”
Last year, 131 pedestrians were injured by e-scooters (14 over 70 years old and 21 under 10 years).
New figures show that 131 pedestrians were hurt by E-scooters over the course of 12 months in Britain.
Threety-seven casualties sustained injuries that the Department for Transport called’serious.
Injured road users in collisions with e-scooters in the 12 months ending in June included 32 cyclists, and 32 vehicle occupants.
Thirteen victims were 70 years old or older, and 17 others were 60-69. One hundred and one children below 10 years old were also injured.
Figures also reveal that three users of e-scooters died in accidents and another 729 were seriously injured.
Shakur Pinnock (20 years old), an E-scooter rider, died six days following a collision with a car at Wolverhampton.
The majority of rider fatalities were under 30 years old, with seven being younger than 10.
Several older riders suffered injuries, four of them aged 60 to 69 and another who was 70 or more.
In around one fifth of all e-scooter collisions, no other vehicle was involved.
Figures do not differentiate between instances that involved e-scooters that were owned privately or rented.
Although private e-scooters are not legal to use in the UK, they can be found on pavements and roads in urban areas.
Charity Guide Dogs called for ban on private, high-speed electric scooters. They expressed concern that people who have sight impairments might be forced to alter their routes or avoid independent travel altogether by their use.
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