Has he got a death wish? Man is filmed riding E-scooter past lorries and cars at 50mph on the London’s A13
- The e-scooter rider was spotted cruising along the A13 in Newham, east London
- Footage shows him whizz past lorries and cars travelling at 50mph on the road
- Privately-owned e-scooters remain illegal to use on roads or in public spaces
This is the shocking moment an e-scooter rider was spotted on the busy A13 alongside lorries and cars travelling at 50mph.
Footage shows the man cruise past other motorists as he rides his scooter along Alfreds Way in Newham, east London at around 12.30pm on August 27.
The man, who is dressed in dark clothes and carrying a bag across his shoulder, casually switches lanes and joins traffic before continuing to ride into the distance towards Newham Way.
The scenes come after figures showed the number of e-scooter riders harmed in collisions in London alone leapt from 27 in 2019 to 181 between January and November 2020.
The e-scooter rider was spotted on the busy A13 in Newham, east London at around 12.30pm on August 27
The man, who is carrying bag across his shoulder, casually cruises past lorries and cars travelling at 50mph
During the footage, the man cruises past lorries and other motorists travelling at 50mph along the A13.
One stunned motorists watches in shock as the rider continues along his way before saying: ‘Look at that clown!’
The footage, which has received more than 78,000 views online, has been met with an array of comments from startled social media users.
One user wrote: ‘All the madness happens on the A13.’
While another commented: ‘Crazy!’
Meanwhile another person said: ‘When you don’t set you Sat Nav to avoid motorways.’
And another wrote: ‘Bro has a death wish on that thing.’
E-scooters were legally allowed on the capital’s roads for the first time on June 7 after the rental trial with Transport for London (TfL), London Councils, participating boroughs and e-scooter operators Dott, Lime and TIER, launched.
However unregulated privately-owned e-scooters remain illegal to use on roads or in public spaces, such as parks.
The man casually switches lanes and joins traffic before continuing to ride into the distance towards Newham Way
The footage has been met with an array of comments from startled social media users
In 2018, there were four recorded e-scooter collisions in London, which rose to 32 in 2019. Accident numbers are thought to be under-reported, as riders using them in prohibited areas are unlikely to tell police about collisions.
Figures show the number of riders harmed in collisions in London alone leapt from 27 in 2019 to 181 between January and November 2020.
The number of pedestrians hurt by e-scooters doubled over the same period, from 13 to 26, according to data released under Freedom of Information legislation.
A study by TfL, based on US data, found riders needed hospital treatment after accidents every 3.1 years on average, with many suffering head or neck injuries.
Can you legally use an e-scooter on the road or on the pavement?
According to the Department of Transport, e-scooters are classed as ‘powered transporters’ and meet the legal definition of a ‘motor vehicle’.
They must therefore meet a number of requirements in order to be used on the road, including having insurance and conforming to ‘technical standards.’
Privately owned e-scooters are considered illegal to use on roads in Britain.
The Metropolitan Police has said riders risk being fined or even having penalty points added to their licence. Riders also risk having their e-scooters seized by police.
In May 2019, the Metropolitan Police ran an operation in London seizing e-scooters which were being illegally used on the city’s streets
The Met has warned e-scooter users from riding their machines on the road
The Department of Transport said e-scooters are covered by the 1988 Road Traffic Act, which also includes Segways, hoverboards, go-peds (combustion engine-powered kick scooters), powered unicycles, and u-wheels.
The ban does not apply to electrically-assisted pedal bicycles.
According to the Department of Transport: ‘For motor vehicles to use public roads lawfully, they must meet a number of different requirements. These include insurance; conformity with technical standards and standards of use; payment of vehicle tax, licensing, and registration; driver testing and licensing; and the use of relevant safety equipment.
‘If the user of a powered transporter could meet these requirements, it might in principle be lawful for them to use public roads. However, it is likely that they will find it very difficult to comply with all of these requirements, meaning that it would be a criminal offence to use them on the road.’
In July 2020 the UK Government introduced legislation trialling the use of e-scooters, through local authorities, for a period of 12 months via approved rental companies. The vehicles are capped at 15.5mph. Around 20 locations are involved in the trial. Privately owned e-scooters cannot be used in the trial areas.
Privately owned e-scooters can be used on private land with the landowner’s permission.
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