West Mercia Police has come in for a bit of flak after posting the photo above to highlight the seizure of an e-scooter.
Writing on the Hereford Cops Facebook page, the force said: “E-scooter seized today in Hereford. Please ensure you know the rules.”
This was followed by various elements of Road Traffic Legislation with which an e-scooter rider must comply.
- Driving/riding with a licence
- Driving/riding with insurance
- Driving/riding other than a road
- Need to be registered and taxed
The post then helpfully points out: “You can't register and tax them because they don't meet the safety regulations required, so the result is that you simply are not allowed to use them on roads, pavements, or other public places.”
Amid much discussion/confusion about the legality of rental e-scooters versus the illegality of privately owned ones (and one possibly tongue-in-cheek reference to e-scooters as “TERROR ROBOTS”) plenty of users focused on how the e-scooter had been transported.
“Fold it up and put it in a car,” suggested one.
“I wonder if they could have found a bigger tow truck for that scooter,” said another. “That would have fitted into the boot of a police car surely.”
“Do you really want congratulating on what looks like a complete waste of money to bring a tow truck to seize a flipping scooter,” said a third.
However, the post was later updated to clarify: “Please note this image was mocked up in our police yard.”
