E-Scooters & Personal Injury Claims – Know Your Rights

The number of injuries as a result of e-scooter collisions skyrocketed in 2021, with 1,280 collisions recorded according to recently published Government data. With the potential to cause serious injuries, or even fatalities as recently happened in Nottingham, it’s important to know what your rights are if you or a loved one are involved in an e-scooter-related accident.

Although e-scooters provide a number of benefits, such as offering a cleaner, lower carbon alternative to motor vehicles, there has been a continued increase in the number of personal injury claims arising since they were introduced – including several serious incidents that have resulted in catastrophic injuries and even fatalities.

Whether you’re a pedestrian, e-scooter rider, or motorist, it’s important to know your rights and under what circumstances you would need to obtain specialist legal advice in the event of an incident.

Current laws relating to e-scooters

Under current law, it is illegal to ride a privately-owned e-scooter on public roads, cycle lanes and pavements. The only e-scooters that are exempt from this are those currently available to rent in certain boroughs of London and some other parts of the UK, including Nottingham, as part of a Government-approved trial.

However, it’s worth bearing in mind that a full or provisional driving licence is required to use an e-scooter and that privately-owned ones are classed as ‘powered transporters’. This means they should abide by the same laws and regulations that apply to motor vehicles, such as insurance, tax, MOT, licence and registration.

E-scooter injury claims – When can I make a claim for compensation?

There are several circumstances where you are likely to have grounds for a claim relating to e-scooter injuries, including:

What can I do if I’ve been in an accident involving an e-scooter?

As with any kind of motor accident, there are certain things you can do at the time to ensure you have everything you need should you have to make a claim.

Crucially, you should get specialist advice at the outset. From the date of the accident, you have three years to issue Court proceedings for a claim and, if you miss this window, it’s unlikely you will be able to make a claim as there are only very limited circumstances when the courts will allow this.