TRENDY e-scooters were responsible for nearly 500 injuries last year.

The nippy battery-powered devices are illegal to use in public unless as a part of an official rental scheme.

In total, 484 people were injured in crashes involving e-scooter riders in 2020, with one death recorded.

Department for Transport figures show 128 of the casualties suffered injuries described as “serious” — and 57 pedestrians were hurt after being hit by the scoots.

The figures do not distinguish between incidents involving privately owned e-scooters and those which had been hired.

The stats also show a huge 41 per cent increase in cyclist deaths to 141, after many took to two wheels during the pandemic. However, overall deaths on Britain’s roads dropped by 17 per cent thanks to fewer car crashes in lockdown.

The AA is calling for ministers to commit to “zero” road deaths by the end of the decade.

President Edmund King said: “It is clear that the lockdown travel restrictions during the pandemic helped the year-on-year fall in road deaths.

“Rather than simply accept this as a dip in the records, we should use this moment as the catalyst to reset zero road deaths as the target for the end of the decade.”

He added: “While we don’t have the detail behind every single death, all drivers need to ensure they look for cyclists and ‘think bikes’ — especially when turning at junctions and at roundabouts.

“Pot-holed roads need to be restored to prevent cyclists coming off their bikes or swerving into the path of vehicles.”

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