E-Scooter Riders Could Face up to 2 Years in Prison for Causing Injuries, Death

A policeman with a member of the public and an e-scooter, in an undated file photo. Yui Mok/PA

E-scooter riders could face a maximum jail sentence of two years if found guilty of injuring or killing pedestrians by wanton or furious driving.

In guidance issued by the Sentencing Council, the courts will apply a punishment ranging from a fine to up to two years in custody, when riders in the relevant category are found guilty.

The “causing injury by wanton or furious driving” category includes driving or riding any kind of vehicle or carriage, including bicycles and scooters.

The most serious offenses include deliberate decision to ignore the rules of the road, highly dangerous manoeuvre, driving while impaired by alcohol or drugs, and exceeding the speed limit.

The current maximum speed for an e-scooter in the UK is 15.5 miles per hour.

The most serious category of harm caused by the rider, as listed by the guidance, includes death and grave or life-threatening injury.

The guideline, which takes effect on July 1, applies only to offenders aged 18 and older. In the sentencing of children and young people, the council advises to consider the general principles of its sentencing guidelines (pdf).

If the injured party is a vulnerable road user, including pedestrians and cyclists, it should be treated as an aggravating factor, the council said. Another factor to increase the seriousness of the offense is the rider’s failure to stop or them obstructing attempts to assist at the scene.

According to the Metropolitan Police, if an e-scooter user causes serious harm to another person whilst riding, the “incident will be investigated in the same way it would if you were riding a motorcycle or driving a car.”

Public Mood Shift

The new guidance comes after a report released by the Department for Transport (DfT) in May revealed that more than 240 pedestrians in Britain were injured or killed as a result of a collision with an e-scooter in 2022.

Twelve people were killed in collisions involving e-scooters, 11 of whom were riders.

Among the most serious injuries caused by e-scooter accidents were fractured arms and legs, broken backs, or neck and internal injuries.

The first pedestrian to die in an e-scooter collision in the UK is thought to have been 71-year-old Linda Davis, who passed away in June 2022.

A 14-year-old has been sentenced for causing her death while riding a privately owned electric scooter, which are illegal to use on roads in England.

Under the Road Traffic Act 1988, the rules that apply to motor vehicles also apply to e-scooters, requiring the riders to have a license, insurance, and tax. Rental e-scooter riders are covered by the insurance taken out by the operator.

It is against the law to use trial e-scooters on pavements or for users to be on their mobile phone while riding.

Speaking to the Transport Committee in May, transport minister Jesse Norman told a select group of MPs that there has been a shift in public sentiment on e-scooters.

“Early on in the development of the market, there was a great deal of excitement about the potential for e-scooters to take people out of cars and to improve on decarbonisation and air quality. We have looked at much of the work that has been done in the trials and published a report on that. It looks like e-scooters cannibalise active travel rather more than they take people out of cars,” Norman said.

The minister added that public excitement over the potential low cost of e-scooters as a transportation means has been “tempered” by safety concerns.

“That creates a need to strike a balance. That is where we will be coming from as we think about the different aspects of formulating a durable and effective regime,” he added, referring to the government’s ongoing work on presenting legislation that would cover e-scooter regulation.