Dash cam captures micro-scooter rider knocked down by car

THE SHOCKING moment the rider of a micro-scooter was knocked down by a car in Austin, Texas, was captured on the dash cam of another vehicle.

The footage shows the unnamed man rolling out of a junction and being hit from the side by a Jeep, which flips him into the air. The motorised scooter rider, who was not wearing a helmet, remains motionless on the ground for a few seconds before he’s able to move his right arm to his head.

Witnesses rushed to his aid but the man appears unwilling or unable to move more than his arm. He was transported to hospital with possible life-threatening injuries, according to local reports.

“As soon as he got in front of the Jeep, (the car) just slammed him,” said Luis Lopez, who captured the video on Monday night.

The Austin Police Department is investigating. Driving.co.uk has contacted the department for comment.

It is currently illegal in the UK for motorised micro-scooters to be used on public roads and footpaths. As “personal light electric vehicles”, e-scooters (along with hoverboards, electric skateboards and twist-throttle electric bikes) can only be used on private land.

However, the Department for Transport (DfT) has proposed a new testing regime and regulatory framework that would allow vehicles such as electric micro-scooters to be used on British roads.

The DfT says making small vehicles road-legal would “open up new avenues for urban mobility”, and help make tasks like short-range deliveries in towns and cities easier.

However, The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents says micro (or kick) scooters should not be used on the road. In a road safety factsheet, it says: “Motorists will not be expecting to see them among traffic, and because they are so small (especially when ridden by children) they are difficult to see.”

It adds: “Their small wheels can easily become stuck in drain covers or pot holes bringing the rider to an abrupt halt, and quite likely throwing them to the ground, in front of vehicles.

“It is also dangerous to cross roads on a scooter. The temptation is to scoot off the kerb at speed in a bid to beat the traffic.”

On Wednesday, a 13-year-old boy was killed in the UK after being knocked off his micro-scooter by a car in Plymouth. The driver of the BMW involved was arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving.

Witnesses of the collision, which took place in the Plympton area at around 8.20pm, are requested to contact Devon and Cornwall Police on 101 with information, quoting log number 739 of April 3.

Video credit: Luis Eddy Lopez via Storyful