Department for Transport
Central Government
Action Planned
The Department for Transport is pursuing legislative reform for micromobility vehicles, including e-scooters, which will involve public consultation on potential helmet requirements, informed by an ongoing evaluation of e-scooter trials. The response noted a 2018 review rejected mandatory cycling helmets due to potential disbenefits. (AI summary)
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Dear Karen, Thank you for your letter of 17 March enclosing a Regulation 28 Report for the death of Scott Maxwell Henry Catton following the conclusion of your inquest on 13 March. I am replying as Minister for Roads and Buses. I was very sorry to hear of Scott Catton’s tragic death, and our thoughts are with Scott’s family and friends. I would like to thank you for your investigation and for sharing your concerns about there being no requirement for e-scooter and bicycle riders to wear a helmet. I understand that Scott Catton was riding a privately owned e-scooter at the time of the accident. Under current legislation, private e-scooters are illegal to use on public roads. Rental e-scooters can be used, but only as part of the Government’s national rental e-scooter trials. Trial guidance strongly recommends that all users should wear helmets and urges all e-scooter trial operators to consider providing helmets or incentivising their use. The purpose of the trials is to inform future e-scooter regulations. As you may know, the Government has committed to pursuing legislative reform for micromobility vehicles, which will include e-scooters, when parliamentary time allows. This will create safe, legal routes for people to use new transport technology, and help the police with enforcement activities. Any regulations, including the potential requirement for helmet-wearing, will be publicly consulted on before coming into force so that all interested parties have a chance to shape the new regime. To support this, a second evaluation of the e-scooter trials is currently underway, due to conclude in Summer 2026 and published in early 2027. Among other things, the evaluation is looking at the impact of helmet provision and uptake amongst e-scooter users. I will ensure we consider a full range of evidence, including international comparisons.
[Page 2] On the matter of helmets for cyclists, the question is complex. The Government must carefully balance the safety benefits of mandating helmets against the potential disbenefits. The Department carefully looked at the case for making helmet wearing mandatory in a comprehensive Cycling and Walking Safety Review in 2018. The Review concluded that helmets should continue to be strongly recommended for people who cycle, especially for children, but that they should remain a matter of personal choice rather than becoming a legal requirement. It said that the safety benefits of mandating cycle helmets for people who cycle would be likely to be outweighed by the fact that this would put some people off cycling, thereby reducing the wider health and environmental benefits. Enforcement is also unlikely to be a priority for the police. However, as I consider future regulations on micromobility vehicles including e-scooters, I will continue to ensure we look holistically at road safety which remains a top priority and at the core of the Department’s work.
[Page 2] On the matter of helmets for cyclists, the question is complex. The Government must carefully balance the safety benefits of mandating helmets against the potential disbenefits. The Department carefully looked at the case for making helmet wearing mandatory in a comprehensive Cycling and Walking Safety Review in 2018. The Review concluded that helmets should continue to be strongly recommended for people who cycle, especially for children, but that they should remain a matter of personal choice rather than becoming a legal requirement. It said that the safety benefits of mandating cycle helmets for people who cycle would be likely to be outweighed by the fact that this would put some people off cycling, thereby reducing the wider health and environmental benefits. Enforcement is also unlikely to be a priority for the police. However, as I consider future regulations on micromobility vehicles including e-scooters, I will continue to ensure we look holistically at road safety which remains a top priority and at the core of the Department’s work.