Cracking down on illegal e-scooters in Lincolnshire proving tough
Police warn of rising dangers as more people turn to e-scooters and e-bikes
Police in Lincolnshire say tackling the problem of illegal e-scooters and e-bikes is becoming increasingly difficult, with officers warning that chasing riders could put drivers and the riders themselves at risk.
Jason Baxter from Lincolnshire Police says the trend is partly down to people seeing e-scooters used abroad, and also because they’re an easy, cheap way to get around.
"It's an easier form of transport, people go abroad on holiday and see people using scooters."
"However, there are dangers involved. You're not wearing the correct safety equipment."
Younger people on these type of bikes – it is quite exciting. Or on an e-scooter that can do sort of twenty, thirty miles an hour. It is quite exciting. It is quite fun, but it is very dangerous. People have sadly died as a result of collisions involving scooters and e-bikes."
He adds that there have been serious injuries and deaths in the area.
"We have seen serious injury and fatal collisions caused between scooters and motor vehicles or people coming off e-scooters, e-bikes."
The public are often frustrated that police aren’t seen chasing illegal riders, but Jason says the risk is too great:
"The problem with that is the risk to the riders of the e-scooter, or if it's not proportionate, we're not going to be pursuing them."
"If it's little Jason messing around on his e-bike on the park, and he's thirteen years old, we're very unlikely to be chasing little Jason and causing additional risk and potential risk to our officers."
He’s urging anyone who knows someone riding illegally to let police know:
"People know where people using scooters and e-bikes live, and you can report it anonymously and we can go and knock on someone's door and have that conversation with them for their safety, for everyone's safety."