E-Scooters To Be Fitted With Number Plates
A new scheme by an electric scooter rental company will see number plates fitted to the front and rear of e-scooters in an attempt to tackle ant-social riders.
E-scooter number plate trials
The Swedish company Voi has been trialling an e-scooter rental scheme in Coventry, Birmingham and 11 other cities in the UK. However, due to anti-social riding by a minority of users, the trials in Coventry have been suspended. Voi is now implementing a number of safety measures aimed at tackling the anti-social behaviour.
One of the measures is to fit number plates to the front and rear of the e-scooters to make it easier to identify offenders. While number plates for the electric vehicles are not required by law, Voi will be installing them over the next few weeks before restarting the trials in Coventry.
In Coventry alone, around 5,000 people used the rental e-scooters in the first five days. However, the company received reports of riders mounting pavements and riding in pedestrianised areas. The scooters are only allowed to be used on the road and in cycle lanes. Richard Corbett, Voi's general manager for Britain and Ireland, said,
“We have an antisocial behaviour issue. That is something that is not unique to Coventry or Middlesbrough or any city. I think we have an antisocial behaviour issue across the country and, when launching, there is a small minority that are ruining it for the majority.”
Voi said it had not seen the same level of anti-social behaviour in any other country. While they had experienced some issues elsewhere, the level of misuse in the UK was surprising. The company will be lowering the top speed of the scooters and attempting to educate the locals about their use.
The installation of number plates will help police to identify offenders from reported incidents and by the use of CCTV.
Regulations for e-scooters
Before July 4th, 2020, it was illegal to use e-scooters on public roads in the UK. A new trial scheme launched by the Department of Transport for an initial 12-month period allows the use of the scooters on the highway. But only rental scooters are permitted and the top speed has to be capped to 15.5 mph.
To hire a scooter, the rider must be at least 16 years of age and hold a full or provisional driving licence. The wearing of helmets is recommended, but not mandatory. The scooters are classed as personal light electric vehicles (PLEV), and as such they must conform to a specific construction and be licenced, taxed and have an MOT.
Privately owned e-scooters can only be ridden on private land with the permission of the person that owns the land. They cannot be taken on public roads as many of them don’t have visible rear lights, number plates or the ability to signal.
Personalised number plates for your e-scooter
While number plates are currently only being fitted to rental scooters, it is possible that a registration scheme for privately owned scooters could be introduced in the future. Why not get ahead of the game and buy a personalised number plate for your scooter. Once you own your own personalised plate, you can transfer it to another vehicle later on. You can search and buy your personalised number plate via the CarReg super search
