The calls to ban e-scooters have intensified after the Department of Transport (DfT) revealed that the number of casulties caused by e-scooters has increased considerably. The UK’s largest independent road safety charity, IAM RoadSmart, has now urged the Government to do much more to drive down the number of deaths and injuries on Britain’s roads.
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The latest finding from the DfT showed that there were 1,434 casualties involving e-scooters, of which 10 people were killed, 421 were seriously injured and 1,003 were slightly injured.
This is in stark contrast to the DfT’s 2020 statistics, which recorded 484 casualties involving e-scooters, including one death, 128 serious injuries and 355 slight injuries.
This, in turn, means there has been a 900 percent increase in deaths in just 12 months.
Neil Greig, Director of Policy and Research at IAM RoadSmart, said: “The e-scooter carnage must stop.
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“A tenfold increase in deaths related to e-scooters in just one year is utterly unacceptable and the continued delay in regulating these machines is costing lives and causing misery on our city roads every day.
“IAM RoadSmart calls on the new Transport Secretary, Anne-Marie Trevelyan MP, to make road safety the number one deliverable for her department in the coming months by introducing the long-awaited Transport Bill to regulate e-scooters for the first time.”
The report also revealed that although there was an 11 percent decrease in casualties in 2021 compared to 2019, overall road casualties have returned to the stagnation trend of the past decade after a sharp decrease in casualties in 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mr Greig added: “The latest crash statistics make for depressing reading and the DfT now needs to show leadership in road safety and publish its long-awaited strategy for England and the Road Policing Review.
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“Once we have a clear Government vision for road safety, we can all start working together to deliver it and keep Britain’s roads as safe as they can possibly be.”
There have also been renewed calls in recent weeks to ban e-scooters following Kent County Council’s decision to end a two-year trial.
Council officials want to prevent someone from being “seriously injured” by the vehicles, having rejected an offer to extend the trial.
Sarah Carter, 80, suffered a broken wrist, cracked jaw and broken cheekbone after she was struck by an e-scooter being ridden on a pavement in July.
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The retired university librarian said: “Another elderly person could have quite easily been even more seriously injured or even killed.”
She called e-scooters “lethal”, adding that the council were “irresponsible” for the lack of infrastructure in place.
Jonathan White, Legal and Compliance Director at National Accident Helpline, called on the Government to address safety concerns.
He suggested that consumers would be more encouraged to use e-scooters if more safety regulations were introduced.
Speaking to Express.co.uk, he said: “We conducted an online Census survey of around 2,000 members of the public and found that more than a third of Brits strongly believe e-scooters are not safe on public roads and cause traffic accidents.
“That said, we found that consumers would be encouraged to use e-scooters if more safety regulations were introduced.
“Given these safety concerns, it’s crucial that regulation is put in place to curb the illegal and dangerous use of private e-scooters, as well as reinforce rules for rental schemes too.”
E-scooters were originally introduced to offer an alternative to public transport and “greener” travel options.
However, the “rampant use” of private e-scooters is evading public authorities and causing a sharp increase in road traffic incidents and injuries.
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