They have been consistently linked to serious accidents
Police seized 28 e-scooters in Northern Ireland in the year to March 2025, newly uncovered figures show.
That’s more than the previous two years combined, according to data collected by Personal Injury Claims UK. It shows that this increase coincides with a rise in the number of ‘injury involved collisions’ reported to the PSNI where at least one vehicle involved was an e-scooter.
E-scooters have been consistently linked to harmful accidents, with UK government figures showing that 416 people were seriously injured by collisions involving e-scooters in 2023.
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The PSNI confirmed that just two e-scooters were seized by officers between April 2022 to March 2023, rising to 23 the following year and 28 in 2024/25. For accidents, in 2022/23, there were 25 injury involved collisions involving an e-scooter, rising to 32 the following year and 41 in 2024/25.
It is currently illegal to use e-scooters in public in Northern Ireland, except on private land with permission from the landowner. Anyone found using an electric scooter could be referred to the PPS for prosecution.
E-scooters, scramblers, go-peds, buzz boards, quads, and mini-motos do not generally comply with construction and use legislation and vehicle standards and are, therefore, restricted to off-road use only.
If used on the road, the rider would require the following:
- A driving licence from age 16 (minimum Category AM).
- At least third-party insurance for road use.
- Have the vehicle registered with the DVLNI and display a number plate.
- Have a Vehicle Excise Licence when used on the road.
- Have obligatory lamps, reflectors and rear markings fitted.
- Fulfil all requirements in accordance with the Motor Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1999.
- A protective helmet in some cases (although the wearing of a helmet in all situations is recommended for personal safety).
A PSNI spokesperson said: “Currently, it is illegal to use electric scooters on public roads and in public spaces in Northern Ireland. Electric scooters are not defined within the law, nor are they approved for on-road use.
“Anyone found using an electric scooter anywhere other than on private property, with the permission of the landowner, should expect to receive a formal warning as a minimum course of action and given the opportunity to walk their scooter home with advice on its further use.
“Repeat offenders may have their e-scooter seized as an uninsured vehicle and may be issued with fixed penalty notices or reported to the Public Prosecution Service.”
Personal Injury Claims UK gathered data from 29 forces across the UK, finding that 5,544 e-scooters have been taken off the streets since 2023.
The government provided a response to a petition calling for greater e-scooter regulation, saying: “A second national evaluation of the e-scooter trials is currently underway, focusing on user and public safety, accessibility impacts and how e-scooters can be safely and effectively integrated into the wider transport network.
“The Government is giving the police stronger powers to stop vehicles being used disruptively, with officers no longer required to issue a warning before seizing illegally owned private e-scooters. This will allow them to deal swiftly with dangerous e-scooters on pavements.
“New Respect Orders will give the police and local councils powers to ban persistent offenders from certain areas where they are causing harm, and failure to comply with Respect Orders will be a criminal offence.”
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