Boy’s e-scooter death was third in the region
THE death of a 12-year-old Birmingham boy who collided with a bus while riding an e-scooter was the third fatality in the region involving the machines.
Mustafa Nadeem was fatally injured in Belchers Lane, Bordesley Green, Birmingham, last Tuesday. He was confirmed dead at the scene.
It was the latest fatal incident in the region involving an e-scooter, following the death of 20-year-old rider Shakur Pinnock in Wolverhampton in 2021, while in June last year, 41-year-old Paul Mulqueen, from Coventry, died after a crash involving his private e-scooter.
It is not yet known if the e-scooter involved in the Bordesley Green crash was privately owned or a rented device, with the police saying that information would form part of the investigation – which is still at an early stage.
The law states e-scooters can only be used on public roads if rented as part of a Governmentbacked trial, while the privately owned types can only be used on private land.
Nationally, there has been a rise in crashes and fatalities involving the machines.
The Department for Transport’s latest published figures showed 12 people died in collisions involving e-scooters – 11 of whom were riders – in the 12 months to June 2022.
That compared with four people killed in the 12 months to June 2021.
There were 1,349 collisions involving e-scooters in the year to last June, compared to 978 in the previous 12-month period.
Only last week, West Midlands Assistant Police and Crime Commissioner Tom McNeil repeated a call for tighter health and safety rules around the use of the devices.
The Government has previously pledged to bring in such legislation.