North Yorkshire Police in Craven took to Facebook to warn the public on the danger of electric scooters.
This follows after the police announced they had seen an increase of electric scooters being used around Craven by children.
This message is not intended to alarm people, it is intended to inform people of the legality of using electric scooters and the potential risks.
Whilst it is legal to own an electric scooter, it is illegal to use one in public places, pavements or roads.
They are legally classed as motor vehicles which means you are required to have a driving license, third party insurance, and tax to ride them on a public highway.
It is not currently possible to get insurance for privately owned e-scooters, which means it is illegal to use them on the road or in public spaces.
The penalties include a fixed penalty notice, a fine of up to £300, up to six penalty points and seizure of the e-scooter.
If as a parent/guardian, you allow a child to ride an e-scooter on a public pavement or road, you too can be prosecuted for permitting the use of that motor vehicle.
North Yorkshire Police Craven said this on Facebook:
If you cause serious harm to another person, or cause damage to other vehicles/property whilst riding an e-scooter, this would be classed as a road traffic collision.
The incident will be investigated in the same way it would if you were riding a motorcycle or driving a car.
Riding an e-scooter on a road can put you in conflict with other vehicles and as a result the risk of serious injury is high.
Also, riding an e-scooter on a pavement or footpath put both you and other pedestrians at risk of injury.
Please consider these facts before you purchase an e-scooter or allow someone to ride one in public.
This message is not designed to spoil people’s fun, and we certainly do not want to criminalise children, we just want keep you and everyone else safe.
To see more from the Craven unit, visit their Facebook page, here.
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