E-scooter deaths triple this year, new figures show, as campaigners call for government to pause trials

The number of people killed in e-scooter crashes has tripled in the last year, new figures have revealed.

Data from the Department for Transport (DfT) shows 12 people died in incidents involving e-scooters in the year ending June 2022.

The figure is three times higher than for the same period in 2021, when four people died.

Meanwhile, the number of people seriously injured by or when using e-scooters has almost doubled over the last year, up from 228 in 2021's figures to 429 in 2022.

The latest DfT figures come following the death of 71-year-old Linda Davis, who died after being hit by an e-scooter in Nottinghamshire in June.

Mrs Davis is thought to be the first pedestrian to die in an e-scooter collision in the UK.

A 14-year-old boy, who witnesses say was riding on a pavement when the scooter struck Ms Davies, was questioned by police following the incident. He remains under investigation.

While it is legal to buy e-scooters in the UK, it is illegal to use privately-owned devices on roads and pavements. Private e-scooters can, however, be used on private land.

The government is currently running e-scooter rental trials in 30 different areas of the UK.

The DfT is trialling schemes, run by private providers such as Voi and Lime, in a number of major cities, including London, Nottingham and Bristol.

The government recently extended the trials, the results from which will be used to help drive future legislation on e-scooter usage, until May 2024.

What do campaigners say?

Following the latest data on deaths and serious accidents, campaigners have called on the government to immediately pause its e-scooter trials.

Sarah Gayton, from the National Federation of the Blind of the UK, told Paste BN: "These figures should give a strong message to the newly appointed Secretary of State for Transport Mark Harper to urgently shut the e-scooter trials down and to rethink new legislation making private e-scooters legal to use on the public highway.

"They are the tip of the iceberg, as there are many injuries that are going unreported and undocumented for many reasons.

"These figures are also not capturing the many pedestrians, many of which are older, that are being knocked over or have very close misses with e-scooters being ridden on pavements and public spaces."

Other campaigners have called on the government to introduce legislation which will make it mandatory for e-scooters to have licence plates.

Ashe Medforth, 56, whose daughter, Holly, 5, was hit by an e-scooter while walking on a pavement and left with three broken ribs and a concussion, is head of the grassroots Just Put A Reg On It campaign.

Mr Medforth, who says he is supportive of the use of e-scooters and has been working with officials to develop methods to improve safety, told Paste BN: 'We are just appalled by these figures.

'The only way of sorting this is through registration. It is very difficult when an e-scooter rider whizzes past to identify a person.

'By having a registration, police if they see an e-scooter will be able to immediately know whether it is an illegal scooter.'

E-scooter crashes up year-on-year

According to the latest DfT figures, there were 1,349 recorded collisions and 1,437 casualties involving e-scooters in the year to the end of June 2022.

The figure is an increase from the 978 crashes and 1,033 casualties recorded the year before - the beginning o