E-scooters blamed for 2,000pc rise in teenagers caught driving or riding without insurance
Some 375 teenagers aged 13 to 16 have been caught driving or riding without insurance over the past four years, up from just 17 in 2021.
IAM Roadsmart, which used freedom of information laws to obtain the data, said the surge was likely to be driven by those riding e-scooters.
E-scooters cannot legally be used on public roads unless they are hired from a government-approved company but hundreds of thousands have nonetheless been sold in Britain to date.
Nick Lyes, the charity's director of policy and standards, said: 'The number of children caught driving or riding without insurance is shocking and is likely to be down to those riding e-scooters.
'Although it's illegal to ride a privately owned e-scooter on public roads, they are widely available for sale. It's estimated that more than 750,000 private e-scooters have been bought.'
Mr Lyes added that some form of licensing ought to be introduced for e-scooter riders, similar to compulsory basic training (CBT) for moped drivers.
'The Government needs to urgently bring forward legislation on private e-scooters, which must include minimum type approval device standards, speed limiters and proposals for riders to have a minimum level of competency,' he said.
Riders of e-scooters who are caught using them on public highways are issued a so-called IN10 endorsement for their driving licences, which means police caught them on the road without insurance.
The charity collected data on the number of N10 endorsement notices issued from the Driving and Vehicle Licencing Agency.
Driving a vehicle without insurance is a criminal offence carrying a penalty of up to £300 and six penalty points on your driving licence. Gaining 12 points generally results in a ban from driving.
Sales of e-scooters are technically legal because they can be ridden on private land.
Public trials of rentable e-scooters are taking place at 19 locations around the country, with the machines restricted to a top speed of 15.5mph – the same as e-bikes. Insurance is provided by the company renting them out.
Riders must hold at least a provisional driving licence to use one on public roads, the Government says.
There is also concern about e-scooter riders using their machines while under the influence.
'You should not ride an e-scooter while drunk or otherwise intoxicated – you may be prosecuted under drink or drug driving laws as careless and dangerous driving offences also apply to users of e-scooters,' the https://www.gov.uk/ webpage about e-scooter trials says.
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