# PETER HITCHENS: E-scooters have turned our roads into a lawless Wild West

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/peter-hitchens-e-scooters-have-turned-our-roads-into-a-lawless-wild-west/
- Published: 2026-08-14T07:16:31+00:00
- Updated: 2026-08-24T03:18:04+00:00
- Original publisher: Daily Mail (publisher lean: Right)
- Original article: https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-16049507/Video-PETER-HITCHENS-E-scooters-turned-roads-lawless-Wild-West-time-force-riders-pass-test-carry-number-plates.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490
- Topics: Americas, Government, Horror, Politics, World

## Key points

- Peter Hitchens says e-scooters have made UK roads lawless and dangerous.
- He wants riders forced to pass a test before riding.
- He also calls for e-scooters to carry number plates.

## Summary

Peter Hitchens, in an opinion column for the Daily Mail, argues that e-scooters have turned Britain's roads into a lawless "Wild West", with riders operating largely without regulation, accountability or basic safety checks. He contends this poses a growing danger to pedestrians and other road users, and calls for urgent government action to bring the vehicles under proper legal control.

Hitchens' central proposal is that e-scooter riders should be required to pass a driving test before being allowed on the road, and that the vehicles should carry number plates so riders can be identified and held responsible for dangerous or illegal riding. The piece reflects wider ongoing debate in the UK over the legal status of private e-scooters, which remain illegal to ride on public roads and pavements outside official rental trial schemes, yet are widely used with little enforcement.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.