E-SCOOTERS are just as safe for riders as conventional bikes, a report has found.
And encouraging their use — while getting cars off the road — will cut deaths in cities, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
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It believes the dangers of micromobility devices — such as e-scooters or e-skateboards — have been exaggerated.
The OECD found four in five deaths on e-scooters involve a car or other vehicle — about the same rate as for bicycles.
E-scooter riders are also far less likely to kill other road users than cars.
The OECD report calls for a “modal shift” towards micromobility vehicles, saying: “A road fatality is not significantly more likely when using a shared standing e-scooter rather than a bicycle.”
E-scooters are banned from Britain’s road and pavements, although they could be legalised soon.
The OECD’s International Transport Forum recommends cities allocate protected spaces for e-scooters and the like.
But it called for them to be banned from pavements and restricted to low speeds.
It urged manufacturers to improve stability.
