Sharing the road with e-scooters

By the end of this topic you can

• You can predict where e-scooters are likely to be on the road.
• You can pass an e-scooter with plenty of space.
• You can check for e-scooters before turning left across a cycle lane or bus lane.
• You can open your car door without putting a rider at risk.
• You can explain why an e-scooter may swerve or stop suddenly.

What you need to know and understand

• E-scooters may use cycle lanes, bus lanes and ordinary roads, but not footpaths.
• A legal e-scooter is limited to a design speed of 20 km/h, so you will often catch up with one.
• Riders must be at least 18 and wear a helmet and hi-vis, but you cannot rely on every rider following the rules.
• Small wheels make e-scooters sensitive to potholes, drain covers, wet leaves and tram or rail lines.
• E-scooters are quiet and narrow, and can be hidden by parked cars or in blind spots.
• Give an e-scooter at least as much room as you would a cyclist when overtaking.
• Check mirrors and look over your shoulder before opening a car door.

Why e-scooters need extra space

An e-scooter's small wheels do not ride over bumps the way a bicycle's wheels can. A rider may swerve suddenly to avoid a pothole or drain cover, or wobble when braking. Riders also signal less easily, because taking a hand off the bar is harder on a scooter.

Leave a big gap when following, and when you overtake give at least the space you would give a cyclist. RSA advice for passing cyclists is at least 1 metre where the limit is up to 50 km/h and at least 1.5 metres above 50 km/h. If you cannot give that space, wait.

Junctions, bus lanes and cycle lanes

1. Before turning left, check your nearside mirror and blind spot for an e-scooter in the cycle lane or bus lane.
2. Do not overtake an e-scooter just before a left turn and then cut across it. Hold back and turn behind it.
3. When turning right across oncoming traffic, look for scooters coming through the gap beside queuing cars.
4. When emerging from a side road, look carefully along the cycle lane as well as the main road, because scooters are narrow and easy to miss.
5. At night, expect small lights and remember that a rider's hi-vis may be hidden by parked cars.

Parking and opening doors

A car door opened into the path of an e-scooter can cause a serious crash. Before you or a passenger opens a door, check your mirrors and look over your shoulder. Opening the door with the hand furthest from it makes you turn your body and see behind you.

Do not park in cycle lanes or across their entrances. It forces riders out into traffic without warning.

Common mistakes

• Squeezing past an e-scooter in a narrow road. Wait until you can give enough space.
• Turning left across a bus or cycle lane without a shoulder check. Scooters are narrow and quiet.
• Opening the car door without looking. Check mirrors and look back first.
• Assuming a scooter rider will keep a straight line. Expect a sudden swerve around potholes.

Test yourself: Sharing the road with e-scooters

Answer each question, then read the explanation. Questions come in a random order each time.

Go deeper

• E Scooter Rules Ireland
• Sharing the Road With Cyclists in Ireland