Devon and Cornwall Police have issued a warning to residents after a number of injury incidents in the area involving the use of e-scooters.
Two such incidents have occurred recently in Plympton, the first in Glen Road and more recently in Market Road on July 23 when a man was taken to hospital with serious injuries after he came off an e-scooter he had been riding.
Although trials allowing these machines to be used in public areas have been going on in some parts of the UK, Plymouth is not one of the trial locations and they cannot be lawfully used on public highways, pavements or cycle tracks in areas which are not part of the trial.
The man involved in the incident in Market Road suffered a serious head injury and blood loss. Due to the nature of his injuries there was attendance by both a road and an air ambulance. The man was rushed to Derriford Hospital initially with suspected life threatening injuries but he is since understood to be in a stable condition, albeit that the effects of his injuries are likely to be with him for some time.
In a statement on their Facebook page Plympton Police said:
“We would like to remind everyone that it is currently illegal to ride a privately owned electric scooter in a public place in the UK. This is because scooters are classified as Personal Light Electric Vehicles, so they are treated as motor vehicles. So, if they are used on a road, pavement or a public place they are subject to the same legal requirements as any motor vehicle. The penalties are the same as they are for “motor vehicles”: No insurance; 6 points, £300 fine and the scooter seized. No Licence; penalty points, a fine and seizure of the scooter – please, don’t waste your money purchasing an E Scooter for yourself or anyone else.”
There is however a fair chance that the use of e-scooters will ultimately be legalised in some form following the trials which are ongoing in certain areas of the UK, but no formal decision has yet been reached. (Story courtesy of The Plympton Podcast)
