Watch: Reckless e-scooter riders jump red light and nearly get hit by car in Portsmouth

E-SCOOTER riders driving in darkness at a busy junction were lucky not to be hit after jumping a red light causing a car to slam on the brakes.

A video of the reckless Voi e-scooter riders almost getting hit by a car on Milton Road, Portsmouth, at the junction with Eastern Road and Rodney Road, has served as a reminder over safety advice.

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The incident, around 9pm on August 12, saw the two helmetless riders wait for traffic turning right before then accelerating across the road as another stream of traffic started to go through a green light.

Two teenagers on e-scooters were almost hit by a car after jumping a red light at the junction of Rodney Road and Milton Road in Portsmouth

Councillor Lynne Stagg, traffic and transport boss for Portsmouth City Council, said: ‘There is no excuse whatsoever for this. If you go through a red light it is an offence. Presumably the offence will be reported to Voi and the police.’

Voi has three options for dealing with offending riders including blocking users for seven days for a first offence, then 30 days for a second breach and a life ban for falling foul a third time.

To rent an e-scooter people must have a driving licence and be 18 years of age.

Cllr Stagg added: ‘People using the scooters should, therefore, have an idea on the rules of the road. It is common sense not to jump a red light.

‘It’s not the scooters’ fault though, it’s down to the riders. It was lucky no-one was hurt.’

Police said e-scooters are subject to the same rules of the road as motorists. Riding through red lights can therefore result in a fixed penalty notice, £100 fine and possible penalty points.

Police advice added: ‘If you're using an e-scooter in public in an antisocial manner, you can also risk the e-scooter being seized under section 59 of the Police Reform Act.

‘When riding an e-scooter, we would always recommend wearing safety protection such as a helmet and to keep to the speed limit.’

While rented e-scooters such as Voi are allowed on the roads, it is not currently possible to get insurance for privately owned e-scooters. This means they can be seized as it is illegal to use them on the road or in public spaces.

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A spokesman for Voi said: ‘E-scooters are classified by the Department for Transport as motor vehicles, and therefore riders need to follow the rules of the road, or they can receive fines from the police as they would do when riding another motor vehicle.‘At Voi, our number one priority is always the safety of riders, pedestrians and other road users and that is why we reward and encourage people to complete our RideLikeVoila, the first e-scooter traffic school, and host in-person and online safety training sessions.

‘We also operate a tough ‘3-strikes’ policy through which misuse can lead to warnings, fines, and even permanent bans from the service, encouraging safe riding.‘The overwhelming majority of our riders act in a safe and responsible manner; however, where incidents take place like in the video, it is fully investigated and the riders sanctioned. The misuse of our service is rare, but we urge people to report any incidents directly to the police or via the ‘Report a Voi’ page.’