E-scooter crash victim says 'do not legalise them'

A woman who broke her leg in an e-scooter crash has spoken of her concerns about the government plan to legalise privately-owned machines.

Marija Ignjatovic shattered her leg when she came off a scooter in Worcestershire, in in February in 2023.

Ignjatovic, who is now at risk of developing acute arthritis, said the poor condition of the roads network has left her feeling a government-approved e-scooter rollout was a bad idea.

It comes after Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander signalled her intention to bring in a new law - due to include special safety measures - because "the genie is out of the bottle" with regard to scooters being used on the nation's roads.

The government has held trials in several parts of the country, including in Redditch, to pave the way for legislation.

However, Ignjatovic's memory of "losing control completely" has left her feeling very concerned.

"I ended up landing on a manhole cover and I could hear the bones snap," she said.

"It was a cold, wet day - and it was a very traumatic experience, I ended up going to hospital and I was told they might have to amputate my leg.

"When you have an accident like that it changes how you think."

At the time of the accident she was trying to travel across a road and lost control, having hired an e-scooter as part of the town's trial.

After being taken to hospital, medics told her she had broken her tibia and fibula, leading to an operation and several months off work.

"It was awful to be told I could have lost my leg, but one surgeon said, 'We can fix it', and thankfully they managed to put metal plates in it," she said.

"There have been some complications - I can't run any more, and I've been told I might develop acute arthritis."

Despite coming to terms with what happened to her, Ignjatovic still believes that e-scooters are generally unsafe.

"In areas like Redditch the roads are not particularly suitable for them - or any areas where you might have lots of roadworks, cobbled streets or uneven surfaces," she said.

"They should make e-scooters a lot safer before releasing them as an eco-friendly form of transportation."

The government said any future legislation would come with stringent rules on e-scooter speed limits and other safety standards.

Heidi Alexander told the BBC "the genie is out of the bottle" concerning e-scooter use, and she intends to legislate towards their legal use.

Speaking on Politics Midlands, Alexander said any new law would include strict measures on the standards of e-scooter vehicles and speed.

"If you buy an e-scooter yourself in somewhere like Halfords...you can only use that scooter by law on private land," she explained.

"But we all know that isn't happening."

The transport secretary said new laws would set clear rules on where privately-owned e-scooters could be used.

"I don't think, for example, they should ever be allowed to be used on pavements," she said.

Alexander added regulations covering speed limits and safety requirements - such as lights and working brakes - would be introduced "as soon as parliamentary time becomes available".

The existing trials - launched in 2020 - are due to end in 2028.

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