Opinion: There are real benefits to legalizing electric scooters Car News

You can understand the calls to ban these strange new machines. Our roads are not designed for them, they seem incompatible with existing vehicles, and there are serious safety issues and alarming reports of dangerous behavior by their users.

No, not electric scooters: I am referring to the outrage and concern caused by the arrival of the motor car on UK roads in the 1890s, which led to sustained calls for their ban, as the pages of The Autocar report.

So perhaps the parallels between the early days of the automobile and today’s early days of personal electric transport (PET) machines might make you reconsider whether you think e-scooters should be banned in the UK. I get it: before moving from Autocar to editing Move Electric, I was also skeptical about electric scooters.

But writing about electric scooters (and all other forms of electric transportation) for Move Electric made me realize that the case for legalizing them – in a controlled way – is compelling.

For starters, just like the automobile in the 1890s, they’re already here and they’re not going away. It is believed that there are over 750,000 private electric scooters in the UK, despite current laws prohibiting the use of these machines on public roads.

They are popular, especially with younger users. Under the right circumstances – going to local shops, visiting a friend, getting from the train station to the office – they are an efficient means of transport that could replace a small number of short car trips, thus reducing traffic jams and Pollution. And, frankly, at a time when even old used cars are becoming more and more expensive to buy and use, they represent affordable transportation for young people.

But without regulation, private e-scooters sold (legally) in this country don’t have to meet any set standards. By legalizing electric scooters, the government can introduce these standards. Rental electric scooters run through government-approved trials by companies such as Lime and Superpedestrian show what to expect: a 15.5mph speed limit and safety features such as lights, suspension and big brakes. Also expect acoustic warning systems. Data shows that rental electric scooters are considerably less likely to be involved in accidents than private machines.

There have been instances of irresponsible use of e-scooters, including machines being driven at excessive speed on pavements – but these almost all involve private machines that aren’t being used legally in the first place. You don’t judge all motorists by the idiot who gets caught at 240 km/h on the highway.