Micromobility fall outside new claims portal criteria

Two law firms relay their concerns about micromobility and e-scooters as the new Highway Code is set to be unleashed

Micromobility and e-scooters fall outside the criteria of the Online Injury Claim (OIC) portal for whiplash injury claims.

Any claims involving micro Mobiliy are likely to utilise fixed costs -

Speaking at Insurance Times’ third Fraud Charter roundtable this year on 21 September 2021, Carpenters Group head of defendant services Faye Fishlock told online delegates: “Because of Covid, we have more cyclists, we have more pedestrians.

“E-scooters and micromobility are taking off in all of our major cities around the country. We have probably got more of that class on our roads as well as increasing car traffic to deal with, so it’s a perfect storm in terms of how this is going to play out.”

Fishlock stressed, according to the event, the up coming changes of the highway code.

The Government Report:

A short report on 1 September 2021 – Regulating electric scooters - which explored the impact of the increased use of e-scooters and the rise of micro mobility in the towns and cities in the uK.

The benefits of e-scooters, including reducing street congestion, providing transportation options for the less physically able and reducing pollution.

While the negative side of Micro Mobility includes the short lifespan of the products.

Death and serious accident data of Micro Mobility :

The latest data for 2021, up to mid-August, recorded 126 injury collisions within the UK - 10 of these were fatal and 56 caused serious injuries.

At least 30% of the serious injuries were head injuries, again mostly to e-scooter riders.

There is no legal requirement for riders to wear helmets.

Of the 126 incidents in the PACTS data, only 18 (14%) involved legal e-scooters.

Meanwhile, 30 incidents (24%) involved private, illegal scooters.

Hierarchy of road users The data DAC Beachcroft is seeing raises further concerns about the proposed changes to the Highway Code, especially the introduction of a hierarchy of road users.

The law firm Beachcroft questioned where e-scooter and the micro mobility riders sit within the new hierarchy - for example, would those riding private devices, illegal for use on public roads, sit alongside those who use legal and insured rental devices?

DAC Beachcroft said: “We will continue to lobby for more government action to improve safety measures for all road users. If e-scooters are to be safely integrated into the road network, compulsory helmet usage and insurance are necessary.”