Mum calls for crackdown on illegal use of e-scooters after death of son
Shakur Pinnock died last year after his e-scooter collided with a car
Last updated 4th Jan 2022
A mum of a man from Wolverhampton is calling for tougher restrictions to be placed on the selling of e-scooters after her son died last year.
20-year-old Shakur Pinnock was on his e-scooter when he collided with a car, but his mum says if she'd known that they were illegal on public roads she'd have stopped him from purchasing it.
Celine Fraser-Pinnock said: “with my son it was an accident between a motor vehicle and an e-scooter. If I was made aware when he purchased it that there’s certain places you can go riding and it’s not legal, as a parent I would not make him have it.”
She's also supporting calls for more action to be taken in regulating the selling of e-scooters:
“You don’t know that you’ve obtained something that’s illegal. It’s illegal where it's ridden. It lies on the government first and foremost and, yes with the people that’s selling them, but there should be tighter rules.”
Only e-scooters in rental trials are legal on UK roads, so privately-owned e-scooters for personal use on public roads is illegal.
Assistant West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner Tom McNeil is calling on businesses to do more to point that out to customers.
“They’re selling e-scooters, knowing full well that people aren’t able to use them on public roads. So they’re taking money, knowing people can’t use them", he said.
“The Government has got itself in a real mess about the health and safety of these scooters. Some of them can go up to around 70mph and we’re seeing some really serious accidents and it’s wasting police time.”