An electric scooter rider is in hospital fighting for his life after a crash in Brighton yesterday afternoon (Saturday 20 December).
Sussex Police said: “Police are investigating a collision involving an electric scooter in Brighton this afternoon (20 December).
“Emergency services were called to Davey Drive, in Brighton, to a report of a collision involving an electric scooter rider at around 3pm.
“The scooter rider – a 34-year-old man – has been taken to hospital with potentially life-threatening injuries.
“An investigation has been launched, including house-to-house inquiries, to understand the full circumstances.
“Anyone who witnessed the incident or has any information or relevant dashcam or doorbell footage is asked to contact collision.appeal@sussex.police.uk, quoting serial 790 of 20/12, Operation Gateway.”
They are illegal, dangerous for use on public roads, and the riders don’t care – and it seems Brighton and Hove City Council, and Sussex Police, just turn a blind eye to the issue – same as they do for electric bicycles with throttles and electric motor bikes operated by food delivery riders.
They’re not illegal, have no carbon footprint, and Brighton is about to start a trial across the city.
Had this country not been vastly out of touch and pandering to pensioners since the late 2000’s, we wouldn’t’ still be lagging behind the rest of the world.
City residents overwhelmingly want less private vehicular traffic clogging up the streets, better public transport, wide pavements, better cycle and PEV infrastructure rather than a smattering of inconsistent road markings and a continual pandering to the boomers who demand that everything is designed around their motorcar and refusal to use public transport when coming to the city centre.
privatly owned e scooters are still illegal on public roads,
If they are not illegal then they, like bicycle, need regulation, licencing and mandatory user training.
At this time they are out of step with other road , and pavement, users and seem to consider themselves above any normal road laws..
They are illegal on a public highway, go and do some research and educate yourself.
More attacks on pensioners I see, no doubt when you reach pensionable age you will end your life instead of being a burden to the next generation.
City residents want less vehicular traffic period.
City residents want less vanity schemes that cause congestion.
City residents want better transport networks and less pandering to the ‘few’ who demand that everything is designed around cycle lanes.
They ARE illegal – they are classed as a “motor vehicle”, however they are not Type Approved, therefore they cannot be registered, insured etc. All of the things that are required for a motoried vehicle to be road legal. The only reason rental trials are being conducted is because the government has temporarily waived the restrictions for the organisations concerned.
Your ridiculous comments about “pandering to pensioners” exhibit your mindset, which is completely out of touch with reality.
As a 59 year old electric skateboarder I would personally love to be able to use both my board and a scooter legally, but as a car driver I’m constantly frustrated by Darwin Award candidates that seem to think it OK to ride these scooters with no lighting, no helmets and no regard for other road users or pedestrians.
So M Fry, how would you feel if you or one of your family were knocked down by an illegal scooter and put in hospital with a broken limb or worse and you had no recourse to compenation other than taking out a private prosecution against the rider?
BertY – meanwhile someone got seriously hurt, have a bit of compassion rather than some random boomer whine up.
If your going down the rabbit hole of what’s dangerous on the roads, you will find by simply googling it that it is in fact cars that kill the most… By a long shot.
How do you know he’s a ‘boomer’ – or is your normal insulting comment for anyone that you do don’t agree with.
It is sad that someone has been seriously injured and I hope they can recover speedily from their ordeal but we also have to consider the circumstances. In this case a person has endangered themselves by using an illegal form of transport and paid the price.
Correct, incidents involving MOTOR vehicles kill the most, an obvious statement being MOTOR VEHICLES out number everything else by millions.
The stats show that overall, MOTOR VEHICLE incidents remain around the same year on year while incidents with cyclists/E Scooters are on the rise. On a per mile ratio, your more likely to have an incident with a cyclist/e scooter rider than a MOTOR VEHICLE.
Really important point. Something like 30x more likely to be killed on a bike, and E-scooters are even higher than that, according to DfT data. Whilst Dave is right on the raw numbers of cars, that’s simply because there are a lot more of them.
In the UK, you are significantly more likely to die from a ladder fall than an e-bike accident. However, the types of risk differ: ladder deaths are primarily a workplace and DIY safety issue, while e-bike deaths are split between road traffic collisions and a growing number of house fires.
Here is the breakdown
The major part of this story is that someone is in danger of losing their life. The debate on electric vehicles is for another time. My thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends in the hope that the gentleman makes a full recovery.
If only we had decent cycle infrastructure to keep bikes and PEVs away from people and cars.
Instead we just have motorists taking it all, and killing citizens in the process.
Sad to see the irresponsible pro-cycling motorist-demonising activists being ignorant of the law and demanding dedicated infrastructure for cyclists and illegally dangerous electric vehicles that aren’t suitable for use on public roads.
It’s probably more necessary to protect pedestrians from cyclists and PEVs who seem to think that they have priority over all other road users, and that the Highway Code, traffic regulations, signs, signals, and road markings don’t apply to them, but must be vigorously enforced for everyone else.
Love the logic here. Your a communist if you don’t want to die while riding a bike lol.
A little facts for you. Electric scooters are not illegal or dangerous, they are not allowed on the road due to the 1988 traffic act which means you cannot insure them, unless your a massive corporation and bribe some local councillors, if you do that, you can I sure and rent them out to people. All of a sudden because of the magic insurance a dangerous vehicle becomes a safe legal one. Now most normal people who are not thick see that and say, ok so they are not dangerous then unless ridden badly. Then they get on with their lives and live happily ever after. Meanwhile your there sweating at a keyboard talking utter tosh.
Sorry, Dave, that does not have a basis in legal fact. Privately owned e-scooters are illegal on public roads and pavements because they are motor vehicles under UK law and do not meet multiple construction and use requirements.
Agreed.
I think this is one of the most important aspects that my concerns are around non-car traffic. Road knowledge, awareness, and non-compliance with signage. Especially when these particular road users are at the greatest risk of death, because a car driver is more likely to kill others than themselves.
Personally, I think this is a question of accountability. I’m sure many e-scooters and e-bikes ignore signage because they are not held accountable for their actions often, lacking a numberplate or other form of easily reportable identification.
Hmm, a valid point about cycle infrastructure, what a shame Brighton doesn’t have a single dedicated bike lane anywhere in the City.
If my memory serves, we have bike lanes going in everywhere at the expense of narrowed road space, so if anything Motorists are getting less.
You are aware of course, Cyclists/Scooters also kill people.
You really are on form today and are well and truly winning the ignorant idiot award.
But in general they are illegal on public roads. They are legal on public roads only if part of an approved scheme. They are subject to regulation – age verification etc and always illegal on pavements etc.
UK Gov website – In the UK, it is illegal to ride privately owned electric scooters on public roads, pavements, or in parks; they can only be used on private land with the landowner’s permission. However, rental electric scooters are permitted on public roads as part of government trials, provided the rider has a valid driving licence.
There are also additional issues as many people are having their scooters/e-bikes modified so that they can reach speeds above the 20mph limit.
Yep. Madness isn’t it. You can ride one and it be considered perfectly safe because you are renting it. But if you own the same model its classed as a death trap by they daily mail crowd
Tested, taxed, insured, not modified, rider id before rental, you know all these sensible things that apply to the normal road users, big difference to what the illegal riders do,
Most of the cocks that drive these and jump red lights, drive on pavements etc. do that because e-scooters are cool BECAUSE THEY ARE ILLEGAL. Make them legal and more law-abiding people will ride them and fewer ‘dicks’. Whilst illegal even law-abiding people are tempted by the ‘you may as well get hung for a sheep as a lamb’ principle – why obey traffic laws if I’m breaking the law simply by riding it in this country, yet legal throught the rest of the world.
I’ve been riding these things since the first petrol-powered Go-Peds were around in the late 90’s. They ARE dangerous though – smaller wheels mean you are more likely to twist the wheel and flip somersault when you hit the tiniest pothole or drain cover. Narrow handlebars and no seat to restrict your momentum from catastrophically moving the handlebars in to a flip / somersault mean you can’t let go for a second with one hand to smoke your fag or answer your phone, but more importantly give direction arm signals. Much more dangerous than an e-bike yet they cost a few grand and get stolen, e-scotters can be folded and carried instead of locked and left, and cost £400.
15 minutes for me to travel to hospital appointments and costs pennies. 2 buses, 12 quid return and 40 mins each way by bus
Not legal for use on British roads so an uninsurable risk. And most riders have no training on how to ride them safely either.
if they are going to rentable in Brighton then they must be insurable so it’s the system that’s failing by sending the wrong message. there are too many toy scooters will inappropriate wheels and ground clearance ect are always going to cause accidents and incidences with motorist and other road users because they are not adequate