To get an electric scooter for my 40th

[MsScoot]

My husband was going to get me an electric scooter for my 40th. I can’t drive and I think it would be fun, and I could use it for getting to/from work.

The rest of my family are horrified and think that everyone would laugh at me.

Personally I couldn’t give a fuck about randoms laughing at me , but I have noticed it really is only teenagers going about on them.

Aibu to get an electric scooter?

Go for it.

I watched two young lads (10ish?) doubled up on an electric scooter come flying down the middle of the road round a blind corner and almost in to the path of a car last week. Poor driver must have lost their life, they'd have been totally hidden by high hedges and were travelling at some whack.

I hope any parents who let their kids out on these don't blame the poor drivers that end up hitting them. Have seen a few of them behaving like they're immortal on them.

That poor girl died on the way to the fertility clinic on one in 2019. I wouldn't.

We've had trials of e wcooters here and they are great!i don't reckon it will be long and they'll be legal to have you own personal ones. Great alternative to cara for shorter journeys and much more fun

Where i live all pavements are shared cycle paths and the trial ones are alloeed on bike paths

Same here (York) Lazypuppy. DD lives in Nottingham and there's a trial there too. I think we'll be seeing a lot more of them.

I've used one abroad...on cycle paths. They are great on cycle paths. Wouldn't use one in traffic or on a pavement though.

We need more cycle paths. Then people can ride and scoot safely.

If the police want to be really nasty 😂 you could end up in court for having it uninsured and get a fine and points on your licence
They have trials where my brother lives at the moment and he said they are an absolute pain in the ass with groups of teenagers hiring them and driving on the wrong side of the rd and going around in gangs
But these are insured so they can legally ride them on the roads
At the moment they aren’t really being used for commuting and short journeys - more like a few hours of driving around like assholes & hoping they don’t hit someone

Aren't they going to be doing a hire trial of them in london soon, like they do in Paris? I think it's a great idea op, I'm sure they'll sort out the legalities soon enough and any mode of transport that is alternative to cars is a great thing. Crack on

Theyre available for hire under a council scheme near me, and theyre an absolute menace - running red lights, going the wrong way on one way streets, ridden on pavements and abandoned literally where they stop - slap bang in the middle of the pavement usually. A provisional licence is required to hire them but given the amount of children Ive seen using them, its not mandatory ...

Have just seen two teenage lads riding them through the park, very sensibly - can really see the appeal of them, but so many are idiots on them that I fear there will be far more injuries and deaths.

Have just had a nose at the proposed legislation and see that users are required to have a valid driving licence to use them, as well as insurance, which does kind of take away the OP's use case and probably a lot of others who might use them instead of cars. Don't suppose the teens I just saw were old enough for driving licences either.

I do think parents should be prosecuted for letting kids out on them, and to be honest I think the poor over-stretched police probably need to get on top of them and hand out some fines for non-insured users too, before they get out of hand.

I think cars are more of 'an absolute menace', if death rates are anything to go by.

What is the legal status ?
In brum we have them for hire like boris bikes so I can’t imaging they are illegal to use in public.

And as for a hazard. Yep but no more so than the groups of teens who ride without lights , often doing wheelys up the wrong side of the road

They are really dreadful on pavements, I hate them. They are illegal but presumably soon legal and then we will hark back to the good old days of people riding bikes on pavements.

They should be made legal to use like electric cycles. They should be limited on speed though. They want people out of cars but don't help in any way. I think people should have insurance for bikes and scooters but realise this would be really hard to enforce.

@Helenluvsrob

What is the legal status ? In brum we have them for hire like boris bikes so I can’t imaging they are illegal to use in public.

They are legal under a licenced trial scheme, but only for the schemes scooters. We have one here. You need at least a provisional driving licence and the hire fee includes insurance for them.

Interesting to read more about the trials, lots of areas taking part - but if I'm reading correctly, still illegal to ride any privately owned scooter anywhere on public land, even if the area is taking part in a trial.

I’d definitely go ebike, given half a chance... legal, fit-making, and you get to sit down!

So if they are made legal they will be on the pavements then or road? I’m dreading the pavements being full of them. My kids school already said out an email as loads of parents have been picking their kids up on them even saw one put his nursery age child on one with him standing holding on to the from bar, looked very dangerous, not even a helmet on the kid.

Would you consider a hoverboard?

Yeah they're illegal and 6 ruddy points in your driving license if you have one if it's enforced! Brain boggles.

Great idea except you can't sue them anywhere !!! 🤷‍♀️

Illegal still other than some trial cities. This will change eventually. You do see them being ridden in parks etc round here.
An e-bike on the other hand sounds like a great idea.

Get one of these. I'm thinking about it.

We ha e them in my small town the council own them and you swipe your credit card to use...we have bicycles too