An expert panel's recommendation to register electric scooters may have come too late but it is welcome news (Panel seeks to register electric scooters; Feb 23).

Like motorcycles, some e-scooters can reach very high speeds and require a parking space.

However, a motorcyclist needs to sit a Highway Code exam, attain a qualified licence, have valid insurance coverage, and pay parking and Electronic Road Pricing charges.

An e-scooter owner merely buys the machine from a shop and can freely ride on the road immediately.

These e-scooters have also been contributing to quite a bit of problems on the roads - speeding and causing damage or injury to other road users or pedestrians.

As the users are not registered, it is near impossible to seek redress if an innocent person is knocked down by an e-scooter. As there is no insurance coverage, it is also very difficult to seek claims from the rider.

The panel has submitted its recommendation to the Ministry of Transport and it will take quite some time for it to be accepted. Meanwhile, these riders continue to speed freely along our roads undeterred.

Neo Poh Goon