Since the start of 2020 almost 800 children aged between 13 and 16 have been given an IN10 endorsement – the code used by the police for “using a vehicle uninsured against third party risks” – according to data obtained by a road safety charity.

While in 2020 there were no recorded cases, by 2024 the number had risen to 375 a year. E-scooters are in a legal limbo in the UK. They are illegal on pavements and other public land and can be used on the road only with insurance, but it is not possible to buy cover for a privately owned one.

IAM RoadSmart said the number of children caught driving or riding without insurance was “shocking”. The charity called on the government to act to reduce insurance costs for young drivers by introducing a zero-rate of insurance premium tax (IPT) on policies where licence holders under the age of 25 have completed an “approved driving or riding course”, and to create a Young Drivers Taskforce within the Department for Transport (DfT).