EXACTLY as it reads - a 34 year-old man was pulled over by police for riding an e-scooter on the M1, at night, whilst it was raining.
Police seized the e-scooter for having no insurance after concerned motorists spotted the fella scooting along the hard shoulder on the M1, near Sheffield, at 5:20am. Just when you thought riding any form of two-wheeled vehicle in winter was madness personified.
By the way, we’re not talking an electric scooter similar to the Vespa Elettrica, we’re talking an electric-powered push-scooter. It does seem to have a little tiny headlight on, but nothing that will safely illuminate the way home!
South Yorkshire Police said in a tweet that the conditions were “pitch black, raining, poor visibility” which was a “recipe for disaster” - so if anything they’ve done him a favour for pulling him off the motorway.
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The un-named man has been reported on a summons to court, and South Yorkshire Police are within their rights to bill him the standard £300 fine and add six points to his driving licence. Motivations for the stunt are currently unknown.
Privately owned scooters are distinctly illegal in the UK in public, with the caveat that rented e-scooters are allowed on roads in up to 36 towns and cities provided they are restricted to 15.5mph. But definitely not motorways, in particular the M1.
What are the rules in the UK for e-scooters?
In the UK, e-scooters are categorised as Personal Light Electric Vehicles (PLEVs), meaning they are currently subject to the same requirements as any other motor vehicle - MOT, tax, and license requirements.
Obviously, the question is raised whether e-scooters should be so heavily regulated on the UK streets - they are incredibly handy methods of transport, but do pose quite a bit of danger for an unlicensed, untaxed and inexperienced rider.
Personally, I’ve ridden on e-scooters in Malaga city centre way back in summer 2019, whereby using an app you unlock a scooter for free reign of the streets (at this point they were new to the city, and had no regulatory laws restricting them to roads only).
Zipping about the city was brilliant fun, but the locals absolutely hated it, and in December of that year e-scooters were restricted to certain areas of the city, and roads only. Other European countries are following suit, welcoming e-scooters but making them much more restricted to use.
