The mother of a teenage boy killed in an e-scooter crash has joined forces with police to urge parents not to buy e-scooters or e-bikes for their children this Christmas. Carly Calland lost her 14-year-old son, Jacob, in March last year and is now campaigning to raise awareness of the dangers.
Carly's plea comes as the NHS in Greater Manchester reported that a child ends up in critical care every month on average because of an e-bike or e-scooter accident. She told the Manchester Evening News: "Please don't buy your kids these e-scooters and e-bikes. They are not worth the thrill."
Christmas Warning and Empty Chairs
Carly emphasised the importance of family during the festive season, saying: "Christmas is a big time because it's family time. Everyone should be around that family table - everyone should be having Christmas dinner. I have got an empty chair. Parents need to not have empty chairs, and they can prevent that."
She added: "Don't buy them - you wouldn't buy your kid a knife to take on the streets, so why buy them something that is illegal? You wouldn't give them your car keys to drive a car. I really can't state it enough to parents. Please, please, please don't. It is not worth the heartache."
Details of the Fatal Crash
Jacob was on the back of an e-scooter on Southmoor Road in Wythenshawe when it collided with a BMW. A 15-year-old boy riding the scooter at the front ran a red light at high speed before the crash. Both boys were thrown into the air, and Jacob sustained a catastrophic brain injury, dying in hospital days later.
The teenager, who cannot be named because of his age, had only had the e-scooter for two weeks and later told police his mother had bought it for him. A court heard it was 'a gift that should never have been given'. The scooter had three speed settings of nine, 15 and 28 miles per hour, the latter called 'Turbo mode', which it was set to at the time of the collision. The boy pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving and was sentenced to an 18-month youth referral order with a five-year driving disqualification.
Police and Community Response
Carly said Jacob would continually ask for an e-scooter or e-bike, but she always refused, agreeing that youngsters view them as 'status symbols'. She said: "No, the answer was no. And it's hard, I get it from a parent's point of view how guilty these teenagers can make you feel, but keeping on saying no makes you a really good parent, and potentially saves their lives."
GMP Superintendent Mike Russell said e-bikes are legal as long as they don't go above 15.5mph, but kits are sold to make them go faster. He said: "It's really tricky for a parent to know what's legal and what is not. For an e-scooter for example, unless you have permission from a private landowner to use them, they are in essence illegal."
Supt Russell added: "Our message is two fold - the risks to people using these e-scooters. Secondly, because they are illegal, they are going to be seized. You are never going to see that machine again - your child will be upset. Money is tight for everyone - and that money is gone. There are no upsides to buying these machines at all. The message is simple - please do not buy e-bikes and e-scooters. If they are used illegally, they will be seized."
Carly said retailers and manufacturers 'have to play their part', but said it was a responsibility for all. "These kids need to stop being sheep and take up Jacob's story," she added. Supt Russell said the use of e-scooters and the illegal use of e-bikes was 'becoming more prevalent' and that the force wants to prevent incidents rather than enforce the law.
Carly, who has launched petitions and lobbied Parliament, said the statistics of one child a month injured in Greater Manchester 'hurt my heart'. She said: "The facts and figures around it are ridiculous. It hurts because they are the people I haven't reached yet. Fourteen people have died since Jacob, and Jacob only died last March. It is 14 people too many. I feel like if they had seen Jacob's story, would they have made that decision that day? I want to reach as many people as possible. My drive will never give up until the Government decides what they are doing."
Carly said: "My son is never going to come home. I am never going to see my boy again and I don't want any other parent to go through what I am going through, so I am going to keep pushing until we either ban them or put some regulations in place."
Supt Russell added: "Communities consistently tell us this issue affects their day-to-day life. Illegal and anti-social riding can intimidate residents, place pedestrians at risk and create significant disruption in neighbourhoods. We also know these vehicles are increasingly being used to facilitate wider criminality. We are urging families to understand the legal requirements around these vehicles, where they can be ridden and the consequences of using them unlawfully. These bikes can cost a significant amount of money. If the vehicle is being used illegally and is seized, there is a possibility it may be destroyed, leaving families substantially out of pocket. Our preference is always to educate and prevent rather than enforce, but where vehicles are being used illegally or dangerously, we will take robust action."
