E-scooters. Who’s actually buying them for their kids?!

[CleverNavyFinch]

Really curious about this, I’m not a parent to teens so can’t relate so keen to understand?
With the craze of e-scooters and the crack down it has me wondering, with so many children/teenagers/under 18s riding them around - are parents buying them while knowing it’s illegal for them to be ridden in public/ anywhere that’s not private land.
Why are parents buying them knowing it’s illegal?
If it’s just due to children pressuring then why aren’t parents stronger in saying no?
Surely kids aren’t saving up enough pocket money to actually purchase themselves so their parents must be buying for them?

Some of them are stolen.

Feral parents with feral kids who think the rules don't apply to them

This, though I would add: Feral parents who dont give a F about their feral kids.

I would imagine parents are buying them and not even one bit bothered how dangerous they are. OR kids have access to their own money and buying them online and once they have them parents are not one bit bothered about it, saying that there was a long thread on my local Facebook group talking about them and the majority of the defenders of them were dads/men. Hardly any women were saying my dc are just playing or whatever.

Loads use them on the school run. Adults and kids

At lot of people don't realise they are illegal to use in public places.
Or think that the local park is ok but not public footpaths (not out of selfishness but they genuinely think it's ok).
I just don't understand why places like Currys even sell them. They should only be available from specialist sellers.

I’m a secondary teacher and you would be amazed at how many are willfully buying their sprog e-scooters. A couple of years ago we sent a message to parents saying they were banned from our site and that any brought on to site would be destroyed. Three parents informed us that their child would simply chain their scooter to the nearest lamppost outside, which is precisely what they’ve done. A school has no right to dictate how their child gets to and from school, they were keen to remind us.

I am getting Wayne on so he can pop down the shops for me vapes.

Certainly the case where I live.

not what you’ve asked but I’ve got one , saves me a fortune, love it. They should be legalised, absolutely ridiculous they aren’t. They are an excellent bit of kit and it’s not obligatory to ride them like a lunatic, age restrictions, breaks, lights and insurance, make them safer instead of illegal.

Shitty parents with shitty kids. The ones most of us avoid in the playground.

Chavs

Thicko, chav parents.

Illegal to be on the pavement though so contact the police and have them meet them when they arrive and they will take them away and destroy them!

Are you one of those idiots who rides them on the pavements too? Or the roads putting their lives at risk?

Get a lot of adults riding them where I live

Bizarre that a parent would buy one for their child. Locally we had two young teenagers who were on one, at night, in the road and hit and killed by a car. I don’t know how the parents could ever live with themselves after the death of both children in that way.

Yeah if we take the twats and twattishness out of it they are obviously a great idea. Fewer cars etc. If they were legal and made safely they are clearly better than mopeds and motorcycles which take up a lot of room on the road as cars quite rightly need to give them the same space as a car when they overtake.

Reduce the maximum speed on them to 10 miles an hour, have every one registered. No under 14s, introduce ‘scooter proficiency’ lessons and exams just like other countries allow under 16s to ride mopeds legally. Give everyone who has one legally a ‘license’. Allow them in cycle lanes only.

Do all that and every one being ridden on the pavement is automatically in violation and can be seized.

The UK law is confusing on them. Since they are illegal to use they ought to be illegal to sell. They are not, and seeing them used all over the place plus available in high street shops makes people think they are legal, or at least more of an "it's fine everyone does it!" kind of thing. The law around them doesn't seem to be enforced at all - if the police actually wanted to stop use of them they could drive around daily and seize any they find, but they don't seem to do this.

They are widely used/legal throughout many European countries and so there are frequently rental services for them, especially in tourist hotspots, and a lot of people see this on holiday and think "Oh it must be fine, they can't be that risky?" (I live in an EU country where they are legal and we have just the same reports on how risky they are).

I wouldn't buy one for my DC personally, but DH has mooted it and I know DS1 (18) has rented them before and used them, legally. I've shared my concerns with him about them but he does think I'm daft for worrying, though he agreed with me that he wouldn't use them on a road in the dark, and he would be careful about pedestrians if using one on a footpath. Of course he could be saying that to keep me happy!

But I think a lot of people genuinely do think they are no more risky than a bicycle.

Idiots who don't give a shit about the law - until their kid has an accident or gets knocked off it and then it's everyone else's fault and expect the emergency services to come to the rescue.

Your eyes must roll out of your head daily !

XDP is buying one for my DDs 7th birthday. 7th!! I cant roll my eyes any harder. Ive told him its not being charged at mine due to fire risk.

He's an idiot of epic proportions, Disney dad-ing to the max with this.

Have you pointed out it's ILLEGAL for her to use it unless on private land - which unless he lives in a mansion I doubt he has.
Ask him which other laws he is happy to be broken for her.