Devastated mother of Wolverhampton e-scooter crash victim calls for helmets to be mandatory

The mother of an e-scooter rider who died after a crash in Wolverhampton has called for helmets to be mandatory for all riders.

Shakur Pinnock with his mother Celine Fraser-Pinnock

Celine Fraser-Pinnock pleaded for the rules to be change after her 20-year-old son died six days after being critically injured when his e-scooter collided with a car.

Shakur Pinnock died at Queen Elizabeth Hospital on Friday while his girlfriend, who was a passenger on the scooter at the time, remains seriously injured in hospital.

Shakur's mother has called for better regulation of e-scooters and for it to become law for riders to wear helmets.

Mrs Fraser-Pinnock said: "I've seen people without them and it's like driving without your seatbelt on – it should be mandatory, something should be put in place.

"I think it should start with the retailers, something should be put in place before somebody purchases the e-scooter. You have to go to the source and put it in place.

"They should be made aware that the e-scooter is only made for a single person as well – it's harder to manoeuvre with two people on – and there should be a strict rule in place."

The 56-year-old, from the Scotlands area of Wolverhampton, said she "hasn't found the words" to describe how she's feeling after her son's death, adding the "words don't exist".

She also called for all car drivers to take a hazard perception test to help prevent further accidents. Anyone who has qualified since 2002 will have taken one before their practical driving test but older drivers did not have to take the virtual exam.

She added: "When I did my test I never did a hazard perception test, but this should be mandatory – even once a year, people get a refresher course online – because a lot of the time a lot of accidents are happening because people forget about the different hazards."

E-scooters are legally sold across the country - with high street retailers like Halfords stocking them - but are banned from public roads unless rented as part of trials in certain areas, including parts of the West Midlands.

Shakur was riding a private e-scooter when the crash that led to his death took place on Prestwood Road, West Midlands Police said.

Shakur Pinnock was described as fun-loving, jovial and generous by his mother Celine following his death

The scene on Prestwood Road, Wolverhampton, where tributes have been left for Shakur Pinnock

Such scooters are recognised as "powered transporters" and fall under the same laws and regulations as motor vehicles.

This means it's illegal to use them on public roads without complying with a number of legal requirements such as insurance, vehicle tax and licensing – which is near impossible to do.

They also cannot be used in spaces set aside for use by pedestrians, cyclists and horse-riders – including on the pavement and in cycle lanes.

As a result they are only legally permitted on private land where the landowner has given permission, however scooters are regularly seen on roads, pavements, pedestrianised streets and in parks.

Rented e-scooters were launched in Birmingham and West Bromwich in December

However rental e-scooters can legally be used in West Bromwich, Birmingham and Coventry as part of a national trial.

Helmets are not mandatory for people riding the orange Voi scooters but they are "recommended".

Riders must be over 18 and have a full or provisional UK driving licence to ride the scooters, which are activated via an app and have top speeds of 15.5mph.

People can trial e-scooters on the road, except roads with a limit of more than 30mph, and in cycle lanes but must not use them on the pavement. Rules also ban more than one person from riding them.