Maw Comms news
GoCompare comments on MPs call for e-scooters to be legalised
The Transport Committee of MPs has called for e-scooters to be legalised on roads but that riding on pavements should be prohibited. Currently e-scooters are illegal on public roads, cycle paths and pavements and drivers face a £300 fine and six points on their licence, if caught.
The e-scooter has been one of the biggest lockdown trends in the UK, as people look for greener and more socially distanced alternatives to public transport.
However, GoCompare Car Insurance is warning that currently, in addition to a fine and six points on their licence, drivers face higher car insurance premiums as a result of a conviction and the police also have the power to confiscate the scooter. The consequences are even more severe for newly qualified drivers who are only allowed six points on their licence in the first two years of driving, so could end up losing their licence.
From 4 July, the government started limited, legal trials of rented electric scooters on public roads, cycle paths and lanes as part of its review of transport following the easing of lockdown. During the year-long trial e-scooters will be classified as motor vehicles and people will need a driving licence and insurance to ride one. Use of the rental scooters will be legal and insurance will be provided by the rental provider.
Lee Griffin, founder and CEO of GoCompare Car Insurance commented, “It is good to see a healthy debate about e-scooters taking place now. They are clearly becoming very popular, but at the moment we still don’t have a clear way forward for their legal use on public roads. There is a danger that because people see them being used illegally, or see people using them as part of the approved trials, that they assume it is fine to ride one themselves.
“Realistically, we are still likely to be a long way off having a proper legal framework for their private use on UK roads, and in the meantime, we need to ensure people understand the risks. As well as receiving an on-the-spot fine, drivers face having six penalty points added to their licence. Car insurers view drivers with a motoring conviction as a greater risk and increase premiums accordingly. The consequences are even more severe for newly qualified drivers who are only allowed to rack-up six points in the first two years of driving, so could end up losing their licence. To be allowed on the roads again, they must reapply for a provisional licence and re-take both the theory and practical parts of the driving test.”
For information on how points on your licence can affect your car insurance visit: https://www.gocompare.com/car-insurance/guide/how-driving-convictions-impact-car-insurance/
Government guidance on e-scooters: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/powered-transporters/information-sheet-guidance-on-powered-transporters
Ends-
For further information please contact:
Jessica Beeken (Jessica.Beeken@Gocompare.com).
Gordon, Jason or Liz at MAW Communications on 01603 505 845
Keep up-to-date with GoCompare on Twitter; @GoCompare
Notes to editors
GoCompare
GoCompare is a comparison website that enables people to compare the costs and features of a wide variety of insurance policies, financial products and energy tariffs.
GoCompare does not charge people to use its services, and it does not accept advertising or sponsored listings, so all product comparisons are unbiased. GoCompare makes its money through fees paid by the providers of products that appear on its various comparison services when a customer buys through the site.
When it launched in 2006, it was the first comparison site to focus on displaying policy details rather than just listing prices, with the aim of helping people to make better-informed decisions when buying their insurance. GoCompare has remained dedicated to helping people choose the most appropriate products rather than just the cheapest, and has teamed up with Defaqto, the independent financial researcher, to integrate additional policy information into a number of its insurance comparison services. This allows people to compare up to an extra 30 features of cover.
GoCompare is the only comparison website to be invited to join the British Insurance Brokers’ Association (BIBA) and is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).
For more information visit www.gocompare.com and www.gocogroup.com
