Manifesto 2023: Biba calls for compulsory public liability insurance for e-scooters

Biba has called on the government to legislate for a compulsory, basic level of public liability insurance to be applied to e-scooters.

This request came as part of the trade body’s 2023 manifesto, published on 24 January 2023, entitled Managing risk – delivering stability.

The 77-page document also saw the trade association urge the UK government to introduce a regulatory framework that incorporates e-scooter usage.

Biba said that this new framework should include set standards, so that new insurance products can provide financial protection to e-scooter users for legal liability, covering both injuries caused and accident victims.

The Department for Transport’s Future of mobility: Urban strategy policy document, published in March 2019, introduced a new class of vehicles that is not covered by existing road vehicle legislation – micromobility vehicles.

This new class of vehicles includes e-scooters and while government trials on the use of these were extended until May 2024 in July last year, Biba said the illegal use of private e-scooters was “proliferating” and putting “users and pedestrians at risk”.

Graeme Trudgill, executive director of Biba, told Insurance Times: “[Cover] needs to be compulsory because people will get hit by [e-scooters].

”There already have been injuries and people killed – the owners will be sued, so they need that financial protection of insurance.”

Autonomous vehicles

Biba’s latest manifesto also took aim at legislation around autonomous vehicles, calling on the UK government to bring forward legislation for a suitable regulatory framework “as soon as possible” - alongside consultations on a data regime and disclosure.

In the manifesto, Biba explained that it would be “crucial” for drivers to understand the capabilities of their autonomous vehicles, what activity was permitted while self-driving features were engaged and their own responsibilities as drivers of these vehicles.

The broker body specified that vehicle data collected from autonomous vehicles would be the “key element” for establishing civil liability and processing insurance claims quickly – because of this, consultations on a new regime for data collection and retention would need to occur quickly.

Biba also committed to continue its engagement on work around autonomous vehicles and pledged to distribute education materials to members.