The OPP are warning the public about safety concerns regarding e-scooters.
Huron County OPP Constable Craig Soldan says the scooters have become increasingly popular, especially among young people.
But he says right now, many people don't realize that they aren't technically allowed to be ridden on public roadways, unless a municipality says so with a bylaw, similar to ATVs or golf carts.
"You have to have a bylaw that would be passed in your community. So for example, the Town of Goderich would have to pass a bylaw to allow them on the roadways there, and that bylaw would outline timelines for riding them, where they're allowed to ride, speed limits, etc.," Soldan pointed out. "I want parents to know if they're gonna allow their kids to operate an e-scooter, they need to check with their local municipality, to see if that municipality has passed a bylaw to allow them on the roadways. Most have not done that yet."
Constable Soldan says everyone is adjusting in real time to these new vehicles, and there's still a lot of catching up to do in that respect from a bylaw standpoint.
He also notes that there are some safety rules.
"You have to be 16 years of age or older to use one, you have to wear a helmet up until 18-years-old, you can't have a passenger on an e-scooter, and you can't carry cargo," Soldan explained. "You still have to stop at stop signs if you are on the roadways, you still have to yield for traffic, you have to stay on the furthest third portion of the road just like a bicycle would, and you have to be sober. You can actually get an impaired driving charge on an e-scooter, and I don't know if anyone knows that."
Soldan says he recently pulled over two young kids in Goderich who crossed 4 lanes of live traffic on Victoria Street on an e-scooter.
"They had no idea that they were breaking the law, and I just said to them 'Thankfully you didn't get hit there, but you just crossed 4 lanes of live traffic.' So I made them walk the scooter home and talk to their parents and they had a chat with me. I just hope we don't have an incident where someone is hurt," he concluded.
More e-scooter regulations and safety tips are available at Ontario.ca/Escooters.
You can also view the OPP e-scooter safety sheet here:
