A few days ago, I saw 5 black young adults in St Albans, UK, riding around in a main street on of of these self balancing scooters popularly known as Swegways, skywalkers or hoverboards—and increasingly, these boards are showing up everywhere.
Though they look cool, UK’s Police has stated that it’s illegal for anyone to ride around in public on one of these stuff.
The annoucement comes at a time many young and old folks in the UK are spending huge amounts of cash purchasing these boards, just to ride around as if they are being featured in “Back To The Future Part 2″ while looking like “Paul Blart: Mall Cop.”
Per the Crown Prosecution Service, section 72 of the Highway Act 1835 makes is illegal to ride around on skywalker board on any public road, including on the pavement.
Therefore, the only place you can use these boards in the UK is on private lands—preferably, your room and if you are a pastor, in your church just as THIS pastor recently did.
Here’s the CPS’ FAQ:
1.”I have a self-balancing scooter and I want to ride in on the public road, is it legal for road use?”
No. Vehicles must be approved via ECWVTA or MSVA in order to be licensed and registered. Self-balancing scooters would not currently meet the requirements of these schemes so are not legal for road use.
2.”I have been riding a self-balancing scooter on the public footway (pavement) outside my house, have I committed an offence?”
Yes. It is an offence under section 72 of the Highway Act 1835 to ride or drive a vehicle on the pavement. It is only an offence under this Act in England and Wales. In Scotland it is an offence under section 129(5) of the Roads (Scotland) Act 1984.
3.”Where can I ride a self-balancing scooter?”
You can only ride an unregistered self-balancing scooter on land which is private property and with the landowner’s permission. The Department for Transport would advise that appropriate safety clothing should be worn at all times.
4.”I have seen people using electric bicycles on the road without registration. Why are they permitted but a self-balancing scooter is not?”
Bicycles are covered by different rules to those applying to self balancing scooters. Electrically Assisted Pedal Cycles must meet the requirements of the Electrically Assisted Pedal Cycles Regulations 1983. Electrically Assisted Pedal Cycles that conform to these regulations are considered to be pedal cycles and as such are allowed to use cycle facilities such as cycle lanes on the road and cycle tracks away from the road which other powered vehicles are prohibited from using. A self-balancing scooter does not meet these requirements as it cannot be pedaled.