Over recent weeks Town Centre Officers have noticed a large rise in E-Scooter's being used within Daventry Town Centre. Any individual riding an e-scooters at speed through the town centre poses a danger to members of the public. Please make your self aware of the below information.
We understand that buying an e-scooter can be tempting, especially as you can get them from many popular retailers.
However the current law is clear You can buy one but it is ILLEGAL to use a PRIVATELY OWNED e-scooter in ANY public space including roads, pavements, parks, town centres or canal towpaths for example. The only place an e-scooter can be used is on private land.
What happens if I get stopped by Northamptonshire Police?
Northamptonshire Police have the powers to seize e-scooters and prosecute riders – please make sure you keep your e-scooter on private land so this doesn’t happen to you. Officers and Police Community Support Officers (PCSO's) will be using Section 59 of the Police Reform Act to issue a warning and seizure to riders of e-scooters and educate them as to the legal requirements. If a rider is under 16 years old then this advice will also be given to the parents. E-Scooters can be seized under this power and it is highly likely that this will happen.
Why is this?
E-scooters are classified as Personal Light Electric Vehicles (PLEVs) so they are treated as motor vehicles and subject to the same legal requirements such as:
• MOT
• Licensing
• Tax
• Insurance
As e-scooters do not have number plates, signalling ability and don’t always have visible rear lights, they can’t be used legally on the roads.
Northamptonshire is currently part of trials for E-Scooter usage in other areas of the County, Daventry and the Surrounding Areas are not part of this scheme. The UK Government is currently taking part in ‘Future Transport Zone’ trials for e-scooter hire, with a view to making them legal to use on the roads.
Northamptonshire Police and partners understand the public’s support for environmentally friendly modes of transport. We want to work with the public to make sure the roads are safe for everyone.
If you have any issues with E-Scooters / Bikes etc in your area and wish to speak to Police about this please respond or if there are any images or videos you wish to provide they can be emailed to [email protected]
Kind Regards,
PC 665 Ryan MORROW
Operation Fragment
Daventry Neighbourhood Policing Team