ILC ARTICLE

Davies warns of e-scooter claims surge

26th May 2022

Davies has sounded the alarm following the publication by the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety (PACTS) of a new report considering the implications of legalising the use of electric scooters on roads and cycle lanes.

The government announced plans to allow e-scooters on public roads during the Queen’s Speech.

However, the PACTS report, The Safety of Private E-Scooters in the UK, calls for a number of safety measures to be introduced beforehand to protect all road users.

It found that the Motor Insurers’ Bureau (MIB) had received 64 claims before February 2022 with the potential cost of £1,684,820, with one serious injury case accounting for £628,000. Meanwhile, government statistics revealed three fatalities and 931 injuries caused by e-scooters in the year ending June 2021.

However, accurate data is difficult to obtain as many incidents go unreported.

According to a Davies survey, “E-scooters must face stricter safety rules and a licensing system similar to other motorised vehicles if they are legalised for use on the UK’s roads.”

It said that cases need to be dealt with individually due to the wide variety of e-scooters available. Typically, the maximum speed of an electric scooters is between 15 and 20mph, although there are some models that can exceed 50mph, while others can be modified to exceed their intended limits.

Davies said, “Insurers can request examinations of e-scooters for large loss claim cases where the scooter has been seized by police and before it can be released back to the claimant to disappear or for modifications to be removed.

“We examine electric scooters to determine their mechanical and electrical condition, quantify the damage and, if possible, determine whether they have been modified to increase the maximum speed.

“As well as examining the electric scooters, we can carry out performance and handling tests on the actual electric scooter or an identical model to assist in understanding the collision circumstances.”