Kent Police warns people off gifting ‘e scooters’ for Christmas

 Electronic scooters or commonly known as ‘e scooters’, an arguable hazardous addition to our roads. This has urged a response from Kent Police with Christmas approaching and many people requesting them as gifts, after the Trials in the UK for them being legal on roads has been extended until 2024.

Kent Police commissioner Matthew Scott, has sent a warning to those wanting to purchase one for Christmas He said “Don’t buy one for Christmas, E scooters are not covered with the legislation in the same way that people think they are”.

He continued to warn “don’t waste money on buying an e scooter thinking you can ride them along the streets of Kent, because you can’t and if you get caught, there’s a likelihood that Police will take it off you.”

Although The Department for Transport extended the legal the use of e scooters until May 2024, Kent County Council rejected this and ended the e scooter trial on the 30th November this year.

They are still seen widely across Kent despite the trial ending over a week ago, It’s to be made clear they are now only permitted to ride on privately owned property and roads.

E scooters have been responsible for 12 deaths across the UK, despite the electronic scooter trials officially starting in July 2020. Quickly becoming the newest travel phenomenon as the pandemic had people thinking twice about public transportation. The first electronic scooter was in fact seen in 1916.

Kent County Council has updated their policy online regarding the scooters it states “Riding an e-scooter on a public road or path in Kent is illegal, and this is enforced by Kent Police. E-scooters can be used on private land with the landowner’s permission.”

This trial was running in Kent from November 2020 to November 2022.

Ever-growing safety concerns have been expressed in Kent, this has been expressed among residents earlier this year surrounding e scooter usage in Canterbury high street.

Featured image credit: Tim Evanson.