MORE people were injured in e-scooter collisions in West Mercia last year, new figures show.

The RAC Foundation said the rise in e-scooter injuries across Great Britain reveals "real life" frequent use of the vehicles is getting ahead of e-scooter trials and legislation.

Department for Transport figures show 12 casualties were recorded by West Mercia Police last year.

It was up from three in 2021 and an increase from three casualties two years prior.

West Mercia follows the overall trend across Great Britain where there is an ever-rising number of e-scooter casualties. Last year there was a total of 1,458 casualties involving e-scooters – up slightly from 1,434 in 2021 and a leap from 484 in 2020.

Private e-scooters cannot be legally ridden on roads or pavements in the UK but have become a common sight, particularly in urban areas.

Trials of rental e-scooters on roads in dozens of towns and cities across England are ongoing.

Steve Gooding, director of the RAC Foundation, said: "As the e-scooter trials rumble on these figures show that the vehicles are in frequent use – and apparently all-too frequent collisions – across the whole country. Real life is very quickly getting ahead of legislation."

He added: "As ministers ponder the future of these devices it is important councils are better funded to keep highway surfaces up to scratch so all road users – not least those on two wheels – don’t fall foul of the rash of potholes which remain far too common."

The statistics also show there were 12 deaths as a result of e-scooter collisions. Of them, 11 were e-scooter users and one was a pedestrian.

Additionally, the figures reveal e-scooter users made up the majority of those severely or slightly injured with 1,106 hurt (76 per cent), while 233 pedestrians were injured (16 per cent).

The remainder were cyclists, or occupants of other motor vehicles.

A Department for Transport spokesperson said: "Safety is at the heart of our e-scooter trials and privately-owned e-scooters remain illegal to use on the road."

They added the department is committed to protecting all road users and is investing £5 billion from 2020 to 2025 to help local authorities maintain local roads, with an extra £200 million announced in the Budget.

"This will help them fix millions of potholes a year and resurface roads up and down the country, making journeys smoother and safer for everyone," they said.