Following a collision that claimed the life of a 71-year-old woman, a 14-year-old kid has been forbidden from using electric scooters.
On June 2, 2022, a teenager struck a pensioner while they were both standing on a sidewalk in Nottingham.
The child “didn’t notice her and hit her” in Nottingham, killing Linda Davis, who was described as a “devoted wife and grandma”.
Six days after the incident, she passed away in the hospital from a serious traumatic brain injury brought on by the accident.
The 14-year-old kid, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, admitted guilt to the offense and to operating a private e-scooter without a valid license or insurance at Nottingham Juvenile Court.
Lou’s daughter, Rebecca Williams, said: ‘This boy’s choices and actions that day took my mum’s life and changed our lives forever. My family and I are now living with the impact of her loss every single day. I would never wish this pain on someone else.
‘Mum was a very youthful, lively, and amazing nan. She would do anything for her family and was loved so much.
‘She never let her age stop her doing anything. She would always join in in silly games, whether she’d be dancing around the kitchen, throwing parties or riding toy tractors.
‘Nothing will ever repair the damage that has been done but I desperately hope my mum’s case will make children and parents think about and understand the real-life devastating consequences of illegally riding an e-scooter before they buy or use one.
‘What happened to my mum should never happen again. I don’t want her to be just another statistic, if I can just help make someone else stop and think before they get on an e-scooter then at least my mum’s life won’t have been taken in vain.’
It is illegal to use privately-owned e-scooters on pavements, footpaths, cycle tracks and cycle lanes on roads, according to the Department for Transport (DfT).
Rebecca added: ‘I want people to make sure they are fully aware of the laws regarding the use of e-scooters and the harm they can cause if they are ridden illegally or in a dangerous or antisocial manner.
‘As soon as you’re riding one you have to be responsible.’
The boy involved in the crash was handed a 12-month referral order, a six-month parenting order to attend sessions with his mum and dad, and a five-year driving ban.
A victim surcharge was imposed of £26 and £85 towards prosecution costs – which his parents will pay.
Under current law, e-scooter riders must have a driving licence and to be used on public roads and in public spaces lawfully, they must conform to a number of requirements, including being insured, taxed, and used with relevant safety equipment and other conditions.
However, the DfT website says ‘it is likely they (riders) will find it very difficult to comply with all of these requirements’.
This means their use on public roads would effectively be a criminal offence. They can be used on private land, with the landowner’s permission.
Nottingham City Council currently has 1,300 e-scooters available for hire.
These are legal on public roads in some areas of the city under certain conditions, but riders must be aged at least 18 and hold at least a provisional driving licence.