E-scooter rider charged with drink driving and not having insurance amid major crackdown
An e-scooter rider has been charged with drink-driving and not having insurance as police continue to crackdown on the two-wheeled vehicles.
Taylor Daly, 21 was arrested in Kent after police were called to an incident in Margate and spotted him riding an e-scooter in a public area.
Privately-owned e-scooters are illegal to use on public roads, cycle lanes or pavements.
Riders can only use private scooters on private land with permission of the landowner.
Read: Dominic Raab defends G7 barbecue after photos show world leaders not social distancing
But several UK cities, including Manchester and Birmingham, are taking part in public e-scooter trials since the Department of Transport announced the initiative last summer.
London got the green light to begin its 12-month trial this week.
Daly is the latest person to be charged with an e-scooter related offence as police continue to crackdown on privately owned vehicles.
A Kent police spokesperson said officers were responding to an unrelated incident on Fort Hill in Margate on Monday when they stopped Daly who was riding an e-scooter.
Watch: London launches e-scooter trial
The 21-year-old, from Ramsgate, was then arrested and later charged with using a motor vehicle without insurance and driving while over the legal alcohol limit.
He was also charged with driving an e-scooter while unfit to drive through drink as well as being drunk and disorderly.
Daly was released on bail and will appear at Margate Magistrates' Court in July, police added.
PC Dave Sansum, Drink and Drug Driver Liaison Officer for East Kent, also said: "I would like to remind people about their responsibilities when driving vehicles and encourage everyone to play their part in keeping our roads safe.”
Under current laws, anyone who rides their own scooter in a public place could face a £300 fine as well as six points on their current or future driver’s licence.
They also risk having their e-scooters seized by police.
Read more:
Christian Eriksen 'awake' after collapsing during Denmark’s Euro 2020 match against Finland
Toddler who died after falling into garden pond in Scotland is pictured
Meanwhile, intoxicated e-scooter riders are being prosecuted under drink-driving laws.
Earlier this year, a three-year-old boy suffered serious injuries when he was hit from behind by an e-scooter while walking on a pavement in west London with his grandmother.
Last year, YouTuber Emily Hartridge was the first person in the UK to be killed riding an e-scooter when she was hit by a lorry in south London.
Simon Ovens from the Metropolitan Police’s road and transport policing command told the Evening Standard: “They are absolute death traps.”
He added that his officers had already seized about 800 e-scooters in 2021.
Watch: E-scooters 'should be legalised in the next 18 months to help cities go green'
