I didn’t know that!

[johnc]

When and where can I ride an e-scooter legally?

London is the latest UK city to trial e-scooters - which the government hopes will be a more environmentally-friendly way to travel.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[Akiwi]

My son had an ... er.. problem with his drivers license. Yesterday he had to do a Course, and 5 of the 12 people there had lost their drivers license on an e-scooter. Here in Germany the alcohol blood limits are the same as for driving a car. So loads of people think they are doing the right thing after a few beers and grab one of the e-scooters that are everywhere in the city here. then get pulled over and have HUGE problems.

 

[MattyB]

e-Scooters are a great example of something unforeseen that fell through a legislative gap. They are a great solution for urban mobility, but aren't really legal to ride anywhere at present in the UK.

Simple solution - legislate for them as an ebike (roads, cycle paths and bridleways only; 25kmh assistance limit) and get on with it. However I suspect authorities may try to find a way to mandate insurance, but we should hope they don't - let's be honest, if the bike was a new invention today we would probably be having the exact same debate. If eScooters are legalised I fully expect the motor industry to push for mandatory insurance for all riders of e-assist vehicles; the EU already considered that last year, but it was voted down..

 

[GrahamPaul]

My son had an ... er.. problem with his drivers license. Yesterday he had to do a Course, and 5 of the 12 people there had lost their drivers license on an e-scooter. Here in Germany the alcohol blood limits are the same as for driving a car. So loads of people think they are doing the right thing after a few beers and grab one of the e-scooters that are everywhere in the city here. then get pulled over and have HUGE problems.

Worse: the alcohol blood limit in Germany also applies to muscle powered bicycles. If you get caught boozed up on your pushbike you lose your driving licence! Beware!

 

[MattyB]

It's an offense here too, but difficult to prove as apparently you have the right to refuse to give a breath test (unlike when driving a car)...

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[GrahamPaul]

It's an offense here too, but difficult to prove as apparently you have the right to refuse to give a breath test (unlike when driving a car)...

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An offence here in Spain, too. Although you can't refuse the breath test, but you do not lose your driving licence as you would in Germany. A sort of compromise between the Brit and German positions ?

A bit like driving on roundabouts, every country has its own rules... and every visitor thinks theirs are the correct ones.

 

[steve_sordy]

................. If eScooters are legalised I fully expect the motor industry to push for mandatory insurance for all riders of e-assist vehicles; the EU already considered that last year, but it was voted down..

But if insurance became mandatory, I would expect the speed limit to be increased to at least 35kph.

 

[Akiwi]

Worse: the alcohol blood limit in Germany also applies to muscle powered bicycles. If you get caught boozed up on your pushbike you lose your driving licence! Beware!

Yes you can loose your license, however the limit level is higher on a bicycle than a motorised vehicle. The drink-drive limit for a bicycle in Germany is 1.6 whereas for a car it is 0.5 mg of alcohol per mm of blood.

 

[MattyB]

But if insurance became mandatory, I would expect the speed limit to be increased to at least 35kph.

...possibly, but at that point we might have a new problem - ebikes might not be allowed on bridleways, cycle paths etc.

 

[steve_sordy]

...possibly, but at that point we might have a new problem - ebikes might not be allowed on bridleways, cycle paths etc.

Things have gone too far now for that.