Further funding provided to assess e-scooter safety

The Road Safety Trust has provided funding to The Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety (PACTS) to assess private e-scooter safety and understand casualty data.

The project has three key elements, to investigate the extent of under-reporting of e-scooter casualties and ways in which this could be improved; to critique the DfT evaluation report of the e-scooter trial rental schemes; and to respond to the Government’s proposed Transport Bill.

The funding for the new project follows on from a grant in 2020 for work to investigate the safety of private e-scooters and provided recommendations to address safety concerns.

PACTS Executive Director David Davies said:

“E-scooters have appeared in large numbers on UK roads in the past 2-3 years. Most are being used illegally. There has been a dearth of information on safety, which PACTS tried to fill.

“During 2021 we published monthly updates on casualties involving e-scooters. PACTS research was helpful to the police and Department for Transport which eventually recorded 1,438 casualties, including 10 deaths. PACTS recorded 13 deaths in the same period.

“The Government has announced that it will prioritise e-scooter legalisation. We believe there is still much more to contribute to the safety of e-scooter regulation, and to the wider issue of casualty reporting for vulnerable road users.”

Miranda Gardner RGN. BN. MSc. a Clinical Nurse Specialist in Wessex Neuro Trauma said:

“The sudden increase and availability of powered transporters used without regulation or adequate bodily protection has caused an alarming rise in serious and life changing injuries. This has placed an added pressure on limited NHS resources. A collation of case studies should be used to demonstrate the risks involved and the costs and outcomes shared as a wider public health concern.”

PACTS Executive Director David Davies continues:

“We wait on the new Prime Minister and any new ministers to learn whether the primary legislation will proceed in the form it has been drafted. If e-scooters are to be legalised, primary legislation will be required, supported by detailed regulations.”

Sonya Hurt, CEO of The Road Safety Trust said:

“The results from the initially funded e-scooter project highlighted real concerns with the future use of private e-scooters and this guidance is an essential piece of work. Our aim with the additional funding, is to help inform Government legislation and ensure that both the riders of e-scooters and those around them remain safe.”

Since it was established in 2014, the Road Safety Trust has awarded grants worth around £5m to over 70 different projects. It is the largest road safety grant giver in the UK and funds vital research and practical interventions committed to reducing the number of people killed or injured on UK roads.

Click here to find out more about the initial project conducted by PACTS.