‘I could so easily have been waking up with the thought of having someone die under the wheels of my truck last night’.
That’s from Andy, the owner of the esteemed mobile Isle of Wight Fish and Chip shop, the Jolly Fryer’, which is a familiar and much-welcomed sight that frequents Island villages to offer up the nation’s favourite takeaway.
Andy had been driving the fish and chip lorry back from an evenings service when a shocking incident involving a Beryl E-scooter took place in Nettlestone.
Speaking to Island Echo, Andy described his horror as a youth on one of the electric scooters skidded almost into the path of his light goods vehicle from a side road at 20:20 yesterday night (Wednesday).
Video footage supplied to Island Echo from the vehicle’s dashcam shows the moment that the youth rode the scooter on the wrong side of the road before losing control of it on the wet road surface and skidding several meters down the road at considerable speed.
The rider managed to jump off of the scooter, with the battery propelled vehicle then carrying on and making contact with the truck.
Andy said:
“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’.”
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Upon attempting to report the incident, Andy called 101 and the incident was ‘logged’, but no further action appears to have been taken.
He added:
“I phoned the Isle of Wight Council this morning, 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.
“And if you try contacting Beryl you’ll be lucky to get a chatbot or a disembodied Amercan voice telling you they can’t take your call.”
“So, be warned. If you are unlucky enough to be involved in an accident with one of these which causes damage to your vehicle it would appear you’re on your own.
“On the one hand I’m glad I wasn’t in my car, the damage would have been bad, they’re very heavy. On the other hand this morning I could so easily have been waking up with the thought of having someone die under the wheels of my truck last night.”
This is the latest in a growing line of E-Scooter-related incidents reported across the Island since the introduction of the Government-led trial last year. Several riders have been prosecuted by the Isle of Wight Magistrates Court for a mixture of offences including drink and drug driving.
Just last month, a teenage electrician was handed a driving ban after riding one of the scooters through a red light whilst under the influence of alcohol in Ryde, as previously reported by Island Echo.
The scooters, which are available to hire for anyone who holds a minimum of a provisional driving license, are treated as road vehicles meaning that all normal driving laws apply. They must also be ridden on roads and not pavements and many warnings have been issued by Island police officers following reports of ‘dangerous’ operation of the scooters.
The company behind the trial, Beryl, has previously commented that it takes reports of E-Scooter misuse seriously. Those concerned by the activity of riders can report the misuse directly to Beryl on its website.
I liked the idea of these, but having seen that. Got to go.
I thought you had to have a driving licence to operate one
You do. Would not be difficult for Beryl to identify the hirer. Then, the rider/ hirer, or both , need to be held accountable.
Beryl have no interest whatsoever all they are interested in is making a profit from the hiring’s
Only a provisional one. So, once obtained it’s straight off to hire a Beryl, and NO driving experience whatsoever. Having a driving license when it’s only a provisional one is a big sham.
What’s this lad going to be like when he gets behind the wheel of a car!
at least that’s one less scooter on the road!
Until Beryl have a local identified manager with a manned phone number the service needs suspending.
What comes first. Greed and profit or public safety.
That van driver is shocked anyway but what if the lad had died. Was he a licence holder ?
I frequently see the scooters on pavements, two up or both. Many underage riders
Force Beryl to meet with the Council now and suspend the Beryl scooters permission immediately. Someone will die.
Greed and profit/money before life every time, no matter who or what the organisation is.
Try reporting these. The IOW think they are wonderful. They are not. So who got a big cash payrise for the idea.
This is supposed to be a trial so you would expect it to be carried out under controlled conditions. In fact it’s been a free-for-all since the outset, no enforcement of “rules”, no accountability from either Beryl or IWC and no interest from Police.
IWCouncil should terminate the trial immediately before somebody really gets hurt.
Dump them NOW, before someone is killed
Petty you didn’t crush it. Then they might have taken action.
I sent Beryl a letter about the many YOUNG kids riding them and some two up… plus there are quite a few PRIVATE OWNED e scooters around. Just pop down around the shop by the Solent Inn ( Monkton St } A few hang around there often. Or just look along the esplanade, beach side, am sure you will see young kids two up riding along..
last week outside the bowling alley i saw a middle aged “parent” unlock a scooter using his details then hand it over to his young boy to charge round on, it got worse when their young daughter, who looked about 3 or 4, got on as well.
I see Beryl scooters used regularly and they are ALL being ridden on the pavement! Also the riders seem to be too young to hold a provisional license and just because you have a provisional license it doesn’t mean you are aware of the rules of the road (correct me if I am wrong). Is there a loophole they are exploiting? Dangerous in the wrong hands.
You’re not wrong, you’re right! Get a provisional driving licence, no experience on the road or reading up rules of the road required – and you’re off! Crazy.
The chap who changes the battery’s in the morning parks on the zigzag lines in the mornings. Do he is working for them so he breaks the law. Next time I will photograph him and send it to the echo.provisional license to ride. My back Y.
Someone will die soon using these Scooters
You see them going along Roads, Pavements and sometimes they are being ridden on the opposite side of the roads, going against oncoming traffic
These are an accident waiting too happen
WHO IS RESPONSIBLE WHEN SOMEONE DIES.
People are riding them fast with no Safety Helmets on
HEALTH AND SAFETY HAZARD
These people ignore all the “rules” and a death caused by these things is not a case of if but when, the other day on Ryde Esplanade 2 females were riding the scooters holding on with one hand whilst trying to take selfies on their mobile phones and weaving all over the road, they routinely ride at speed on the pavements, ride 2 up and the latest party trick is to ride from Quay road to the bus station on the wrong side of the road, on top of this is the increasing numbers of illegal privately owned scooters blatantly being driven round the town yet on only one occasion i know of did the police have a quiet word with two people on a scooter.
I thought that young rider was very nimble, he didnt even fall, a solid lesson learned, he will now learn to drive expecting the unexpected and respecting the road especially in the wet..These comments that litter this post, the people must have led very dull lives during their youth, I dont like Beryl scooters but really dislike this retirement gated communities attitude towards nippers being nippers, this is an island of limited resources, so they make their own fun and learn from their collective mistakes, its what boys do..
Wind up merchant
stop being naive, the world is turning into a cissey state..how shocking kids now are doing the same things as when we were kids…or were you one of the boring ones back then telling tales for pats on the head.
Would you like like it if one of these scooters knocked down one of your family members or severely injured your did and it cost thousands to be put right or your family member ended up with brain damage or worse . It’s going to happen
I used to climb the cliff wall at my local church, but that escapade did NOT involve anyone else or put others in danger. The E-scooter system is being abused. Youngsters think they are at the fair and the scooters are a toy placed on the corner of the street for their enjoyment.
No doubt Beryl will be able too contact you if it’s your fault as a insured road user and damage their property !
Supposed to be a Road vehicle and not Pavements, Yet I see all ages of people riding them on pavements of Cowes, cowes beach and so on! Then the simple fact of needing a provisional? Most of these people don’t have one cause they still in year 9,10,11 of school, just my thought on the matter I think they are okay for the people who need to use them but I don’t agree with them when it comes to my kids nearly getting knocked down by one