E-scooters: Policy choices and safety concerns

Alistair Kinley, Director of Policy and Government Affairs, chaired Clyde & Co's second webinar on the e-scooters which took place on Wednesday 16 February 2022.

More than 150 attended the session and heard a series of short presentations from guest speakers from the Department for Transport, the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety (PACTS) and Stewarts (solicitors). The broad themes of the event were the questions that need to be addressed in framing any future legal regime governing e-scooters and the risks and safety concerns that they present for riders and other road users alike.

The first presentation from Eleanor Chappell, Head of Micromobility at the Department of Transport, outlined key options for possible government intervention. Attendees then heard from Margaret Winchcomb, Senior Research and Policy Officer at PACTS, setting out insights into casualty data, safety issues and recommendations for appropriate regulation if privately-owned e-scooters are to be legalised. The final presentation from Lucie Clinch, Senior Associate at Stewarts, provided an insight into a claimant practitioner’s perspective on e-scooters, touching on illegality, contributory negligence and insurance aspects of e-scooter claims.

*This content was written by BLM prior to its merger with Clyde & Co*