E-scooter riders ‘jump red lights more often than cyclists’, according to a London study

As Transport for London considers raising speed limits for e-scooters and reducing the age limit to 16, a new study has found that cyclists are far more likely to ignore red lights than any other road user, including cyclists.

Two in five e-scooters spotted at 80 different busy intersections in the capital ran red lights, according to research commissioned by dashcam company Nextbase.

That compares to 28 percent of cyclists who ignored red stop signs at hectic intersections.

Nextbase commissioned dozens of researchers to observe 80 different intersections in London over a period of several hours and record the behavior of more than 12,500 road users.

The company carried out the project after receiving ‘constant feedback’ from users of its dashcams about the high number of runners and cyclists running red lights.

However, it is said that there is a ‘lack of statistical evidence’ to support these claims.

Market research firm Shepper conducted the survey and its team witnessed a total of 144 e-scooter riders. Of these, 60 drove through red lights at busy intersections.

A total of 2,509 cyclists were counted by the researchers. Of these, 697 witnessed failure to stop when the lights were red.

The increased likelihood of e-scooter riders in London ignoring red lights is a major concern, especially as Sadiq Khan’s transport bosses are reportedly ‘considering’ increasing the maximum e-scooter speed to 15.5mph and the age limit for drivers to 16 years old.

The proposal is being considered despite 35 people being hospitalized in London with ‘serious injuries’ since the e-scooter rental trial launched in the capital in 2021 as part of a ‘green transport revolution’.

Currently, the almost 5,000 rental scooters in London are not allowed to drive faster than 20 km/h.

Bryn Brooker, head of road safety at Nextbase, said the research was ‘not intended to target cyclists or e-scooter riders’ and was instead carried out to ‘highlight how a minority of these road users are putting themselves in serious danger’.

He said: ‘Intersections can be very dangerous places and should be treated with respect. It doesn’t matter if you’re a driver, a cyclist or an e-scooter rider: running a red light is illegal and puts you and others at risk.

‘Struck by a pedestrian will be life-changing for both you and the victim, and you can easily be hit by traffic coming from another direction. It’s just never worth it.’

He adds that motorists ‘concerned about liability’ in cases where collisions occur at junctions where other road users ignore the red light should consider investing in a dashcam, which ‘ Always provide a neutral overview of who exactly is to blame in an accident.’

Motorists also break the law at intersections

But while Bryn said motorists should use technology to protect themselves from claims, a small percentage of car, van and truck drivers were also found to be breaking the law at the busy intersections.

Of the 9,880 registered motorists, more than one in ten (11 percent) were distracted in some way while navigating intersections – including 4 percent who were observed using their mobile phone.

This is despite the introduction of much stricter rules around ‘touching’ wearable devices while driving a vehicle – and the penalty for being caught increased in 2017 to six points and a minimum £200 fine.

Other distractions included eating and drinking, as well as smoking and vaping while driving.

The dangers at intersections

The research was carried out to test whether red lights were still respected in London at all.

Junctions are among the most dangerous places on UK roads: 41 per cent of all reported serious injuries to cyclists occur at or within 20 meters of an intersection, according to DfT statistics on road casualties.

Elephant & Castle was among the worst for both red light and distracted drivers, while almost no cyclists or e-scooter riders bothered to stop at the red light on Streatham High Road & Greyhound Lane (93.5 percent ran red lights ).

Walworth Road & East Street saw a shocking 38 per cent of drivers distracted by phones or other activities while at traffic lights.

Commenting on the findings, James Luckhurst, founder of road safety campaign group Project Edward (Every Day Without A Road Death), said: ‘As a regular visitor to London, I am concerned to see motorcyclists, e-scooter riders and cyclists shamelessly running red lights in the streets from London.

‘They unnecessarily endanger themselves and others just to steal a few seconds of lead.

‘Disobeying traffic lights is not only illegal, but also extremely dangerous and shows a willful disregard for the rules of the road and public safety. Traffic lights apply to everyone on the road, but also to pedestrians waiting to cross.

“My message is that everyone who uses the capital’s roads must take responsibility for their own safety and can play their part in reducing the number of deaths and injuries.”