Calls renewed for e-scooter ban

A British backpacker has been charged over the death of a man in Australia, after allegedly hitting him while riding the hired e-scooter on a footpath in Perth. There are allegations the woman had been drinking prior to the crash.

Friends of the man who was killed, 51-year-old engineer Thanh Phan, have called for e-scooters to be banned as a result and highlighted that many are stationed outside bars and clubs – inviting people to use them while intoxicated.

The tragedy marks the latest incident involving an e-scooter leading to serious injury or death, with numerous cases reported around the world. Some people sustain brain and spinal injuries as a result of such collisions, the damage from which can be lifelong.

In the UK, e-scooters are increasingly commonplace in cities including London, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle, Birmingham and Bristol. They are widely used around Europe.

The latest statistics show that in 2023, there were 1,720 incidents involving e-scooters and people being injured. There were 15 fatalities. In London, incidents rose 20 per cent on the previous year.

It is not possible to purchase insurance in the UK for e-scooters, which adds further to the risk around e-scooter use.

The serious injury team at law firm Slater and Gordon is acting in a number of cases involving e-scooters.

Matthew Tomlinson, Head of Serious Injury (North) at Slater and Gordon, says: “Sadly, we are seeing an increase in the number of people who sustain serious injury following incidents involving e-scooters in the UK.

“Injuries include brain and spinal injuries as well as serious orthopaedic injuries. As it is not possible to insure privately owned e-scooters, it is an offence to ride an e-scooter on a road, pavement or within a public place.

“The increase in e-scooter rental trials in some parts of the UK, to reflect schemes within Europe, is on the increase. This is something for all other roads users to be acutely aware of, given the vulnerability of e-scooter riders as well as pedestrians.”