17 September 2021
To all Parents and Carers,
Please be aware of the email we have received below from the Road Safety Team at Medway Council, regarding electric scooters:
Dear Headteacher,
We write to draw your attention to the matter of electric scooters (e-scooters) and ask you to disseminate the following information throughout your school community.
Year-round we work closely with our community safety partners to raise awareness of key road safety messages throughout Kent and Medway. In recent weeks it has again been brought to our attention that there is an increasing number of individuals riding e-scooters on the public highway, pavements and in public open spaces.
E-scooters are a relatively new mode of transport and as such the Government is trialling various schemes and developing the guidance around their safe use. However, (at the time of writing this letter) many are still unaware
e-scooters are classed as ‘Personal Light Electric Vehicles’ (PLEVs), which means they are treated as motor vehicles and subject to the same legal requirements such as:
- Driving licence
- Insurance
- Number plates
- Lighting
- Brakes
- Type approval
- Road tax
- Crash helmets etc.
Without these, e-scooters cannot be used legally on the road. In no circumstances is it legal to use them on the pavement.
We understand many parents/carers may wish to purchase an e-scooter or perhaps already have. We ask that you share the above key information with them.
The Government is currently trialling the use of approved rental e-scooters as environmentally friendly modes of transport in some specific locations in the UK (find out more here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/e-scooter-trials-guidance-for-users).
Only approved rental e-scooters may be used in the Government-led trial areas, in line with specific terms of use. For the rest of the country, under current law, e-scooters can only be used on private land.
The police are obliged to take action against anyone who is caught repeatedly using an e-scooter illegally or in a way that causes a nuisance to others. In these circumstances, the police have the power to seize the e-scooter under Section 59 of the Police Reform Act/165 of the Road Traffic Act.
For further detailed information regarding e-scooters please visit GOV.UK: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/powered-transporters/information-sheet-guidance-on-powered-transporters
Kind Regards,
Medway Council
Road Safety Team
