Moment teenager on an e-scooter almost ploughs into a lorry while riding on the WRONG side of the road
The moment an e-scooter rider almost ploughs into a lorry while travelling on the wrong side of the ride has been caught on video.
The near-miss was captured on Andy Phillips' dash cam while he was driving his lorry in Nettlestone, Isle of Wight, on Wednesday evening.
The footage shows the fish and chip shop owner travelling along a dark road before the teenager on a hired electric scooter appears from a side road.
The footage shows the teenager riding an e-scooter on the wrong side of the road, and approaching from a side road. As he sees Andy Phillips' lorry, he tries to stop, skids and manages to scramble off before slipping into the path of the lorry and hitting the front of it
The young e-scooter rider disappears out of shot as he skids towards Andy's chippy truck. Andy said he fortunately escaped unharmed
Travelling on the wrong side of the road, the teenager tries to stop as he sees Andy's mobile chippy truck.
He skids and manages to scramble off the e-scooter and slips into the path of the lorry and hits the front of it.
Andy - who runs the Jolly Fryer, on the Isle of Wight - said the youth was fortunate to escape unharmed.
Andy, who runs the Jolly Fryer fish and chip shop on the Isle of Wight, said he 'could so easily have been waking up with the thought of having someone die under the wheels of my truck'
But he added: 'I could so easily have been waking up with the thought of having someone die under the wheels of my truck.
'He was on the wrong side of the road.
'He clearly didn't expect other traffic to be on the roads. He appeared to be of school age.
'His excuse? 'It just went into a skid, I wasn't going too fast'.'
Andy alerted police and was told the incident had been logged, but that no further action will be taken.
Andy said the teen was on a Beryl e-scooter that can be hired across the UK from councils - including in Bournemouth, Dorset and Norwich, Norfolk.
Andy added: 'I phoned the Isle of Wight Council on Thursday, because according to blurb put out at the start of the scheme they were proud to be part of such a groundbreaking idea.
'But they apparently have no idea who, on the Island, runs them and also didn't want to know.'
Isle of Wight Council has been approached for comment.
A spokesman for Hampshire Constabulary said: 'We received a report of a collision on Nettlestone Hill, at 8.57pm on 8 September.
'An E-scooter had gone underneath a lorry. The rider was not on the scooter at the point of the collision and no-one was injured.'
Andy was driving his lorry in Nettlestone, on the Isle of Wight, when the young e-scooter rider appeared from a side road and skidded into his path. The footage was captured on Andy's dash cam
In 2018, there were four recorded e-scooter collisions in London, which rose to 32 in 2019. Accident numbers are thought to be under-reported, as riders using them in prohibited areas are unlikely to tell police about collisions.
Figures show the number of riders harmed in collisions in London alone leapt from 27 in 2019 to 181 between January and November 2020.
The number of pedestrians hurt by e-scooters doubled over the same period, from 13 to 26, according to data released under Freedom of Information legislation.
A study by TfL, based on US data, found riders needed hospital treatment after accidents every 3.1 years on average, with many suffering head or neck injuries.
Can you legally use an e-scooter on the road or on the pavement?
According to the Department of Transport, e-scooters are classed as 'powered transporters' and meet the legal definition of a 'motor vehicle'.
They must therefore meet a number of requirements in order to be used on the road, including having insurance and conforming to 'technical standards.'
Privately owned e-scooters are considered illegal to use on roads in Britain. The Metropolitan Police has said riders risk being fined or even having penalty points added to their licence. Riders also risk having their e-scooters seized by police.
In May 2019, the Metropolitan Police ran an operation in London seizing e-scooters which were being illegally used on the city's streets
The Met has warned e-scooter users from riding their machines on the road
The Department of Transport said e-scooters are covered by the 1988 Road Traffic Act, which also includes Segways, hoverboards, go-peds (combustion engine-powered kick scooters), powered unicycles, and u-wheels.
The ban does not apply to electrically-assisted pedal bicycles.
According to the Department of Transport: 'For motor vehicles to use public roads lawfully, they must meet a number of different requirements. These include insurance; conformity with technical standards and standards of use; payment of vehicle tax, licensing, and registration; driver testing and licensing; and the use of relevant safety equipment.
'If the user of a powered transporter could meet these requirements, it might in principle be lawful for them to use public roads. However, it is likely that they will find it very difficult to comply with all of these requirements, meaning that it would be a criminal offence to use them on the road.'
In July 2020 the UK Government introduced legislation trialling the use of e-scooters, through local authorities, for a period of 12 months via approved rental companies. The vehicles are capped at 15.5mph. Around 20 locations are involved in the trial. Privately owned e-scooters cannot be used in the trial areas.
Privately owned e-scooters can be used on private land with the landowner's permission.
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