The Warwickshire Road Safety Partnership has stepped up efforts to remind residents that it remains illegal to ride a privately owned e-scooter in any public place.
In 2021, 24 e-scooters were seized by Warwickshire Police.
The force says those who have their device taken are “unlikely to get it back” and also stresses it has the legal powers to prosecute riders for insurance and licensing offences.
For example, e-scooter riders can face a £300 fine and six points on their licence for riding an e-scooter with no insurance.
Sgt Shaun Bridle said: “Once seized by officers, your e-scooter will be collected by our vehicle recovery team and you will be unlikely to get it back. With most e-scooters costing £500-£1,000 this is a lot of money to lose.
“You may be able to insure your e-scooter for theft and damage and for use on private land, however currently there are no insurance companies that will insure a privately owned e-scooter for use on the road or public place (such as parks) and this is a legal requirement.
“You also need to have an appropriate licence, so anyone under 16 will not be able to hold a licence.
“This is because e-scooters are classified as Personal Light Electric Vehicles (PLEVs) so they are treated as motor vehicles and subject to the same legal requirements such as MOT, licensing, tax and insurance.”
Concerns have also been raised over the safety of e-scooters.
Sgt Bridle added: “As well as being illegal, we have real concerns about the safety of e-scooters. In the first ten months of 2021, nationally there were nine deaths and other casualties involving both e-scooter riders and other road users.
“If you cause serious harm to another person whilst riding an e-scooter the incident will be investigated in the same way it would if you were riding a motorcycle or driving a car.
“This is not something we want to see happening in Warwickshire and whilst we are not currently aware of any serious injury collisions involving e-scooters, earlier this year a girl was hit by an electric scooter as she walked to school in Nuneaton.
“She suffered minor injuries to her wrist and was left shaken following the collision that occurred as she was crossing Park Lane. The e-scooter rider left the scene, leaving the young girl in the middle of the road. Police are continuing to investigate the incident.
“Whilst some parts of the country are taking part in Government trials for e-scooter hire with a view to making them legal to use on the roads, Warwickshire is not currently part of the trials so e-scooters cannot be hired at this time.”
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