James Sunderland joined a virtual Guide Dogs event entitled “E-scooters - the impact on people with sight loss”.

The UK government is currently running trials of e-scooter hire schemes to help decide whether to legalise e-scooters. Alongside the trials, sales of e-scooters for private use are booming across the country, even though using them on public roads remains illegal.

E-scooters operate quietly, which means that people with sight loss have little or no warning that they are approaching. Guide Dogs research has found that most e-scooters are driven on the pavement, where they are most likely to come into conflict with pedestrians. Even without a collision, a close encounter with an e-scooter can force people with sight loss to change their route or avoid an area altogether.

The event heard from people with sight loss about their experiences with e-scooters and discussed what the government can do to help keep blind and partially sighted people safe.