My son was a sufferer of UK’s e-scooter scourge…we should act now to cease one other tragedy: Mother shares pictures of deadly accident aftermath as she leads requires crackdown
A grieving mother says action should be taken to tackle Britain’s e-scooter ‘scourge’, as she shared photos following her 14-year-old son’s death in a crash.
Carly Calland posted pictures, including some of paramedics treating her son Jacob, in an effort to ‘bring home the reality and seriousness of what happened’.
Her calls for new laws come as a group advising MPs highlighted the dangers posed by increasing numbers of people travelling on motorised two-wheelers.
The new report from the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety says: ‘A lack of public understanding, irresponsible retail sales and dangerous use by some is leading to serious injuries and deaths, including of children.’
And research suggests Britain’s streets are being flooded by illegal e-scooters with increased speeds and no horns – with nine in 10 sold unlawfully.
Privately-owned e-scooters are banned on roads – but their use significantly increased during the Covid-19 pandemic and there are now thought to be as many as one million on the roads, leading to police often effectively turning a blind eye.
Campaign calls have been backed by Ms Calland, whose son Jacob died in an e-scooter accident in March last year – and she has now shared photos of the clothes he was wearing at the time, after finally having them returned last week.
She wrote: ‘After a lot of thought, I feel it is right that I share these photos with the public. As is normal in this day and age, members of the public started taking photographs of the scene and started posting on social media straight away.
Jacob Calland, 14, described by friends as a ‘bright, loving young boy’, is pictured here with his mother Carly
Carly Calland shared this photo of parademics treating her son following his e-scooter crash
‘I was devastated that this had happened and I managed to get them taken down. But I now feel that these photos will do some good and really highlight how horrific Jacob’s accident was.
‘You can see one of his trainers that had flown off lying on the road next to the scooter. You can see the rip to his sock. You can see the paramedics treating him.’
She told of receiving his clothes and trainers back from police on January 14, adding: ‘These photos bring home the reality and seriousness of what happened. This is the result of Jacob’s split second decision to jump on the back of that e-scooter.
‘Please show these photos to your family, friends and children. This is what happened to Jacob. I don’t want it to happen to you or someone you love.’
Jacob was riding on the back of an e-scooter without a helmet through a busy junction in Wythenshawe, Manchester, on March 19 2025, when the crash happened.
He suffered a severe head injury and was given urgent life-saving treatment by paramedics on the scene.
Jacob was then taken to Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital, where he was kept under sedation on an intensive care ward for eight days before dying on March 27.
Since then, Ms Calland has campaigned for tighter restrictions around the use of e-scooters and released a video called ‘Jacob’s Journey – Life Over Death’ to help prevent other young people from suffering a similar fate.
Campaign calls have been backed by Carly Calland (pictured), whose 14-year-old son Jacob died in an e-scooter accident in March last year
Jacob (pictured) was riding on the back of an e-scooter without a helmet through a busy junction in Wythenshawe, Manchester, on March 19 2025 when the crash happened
She received back from police on January 14 2025 clothing worn by her son on the fateful day
Carly Calland posted: ‘After a lot of thought, I feel it is right I share these photos with the public’
She added: ‘I now feel that these photos will do some good and really highlight how horrific Jacob’s accident was’
Carly Calland has set up a campaign called Jacob’s Journey following his death in March 2025
Jacob was riding as a passenger on an e-scooter when the tragic collision happened
Carly Calland says the photos of son Jacob’s clothing should be shared
She is calling for better regulation of e-scooters, including their sales, promotion and use
Calls are mounting for a crackdown on the UK’s e-scooter’scourge’ – with pedestrians fearing for their lives when stepping outside due to anti-social riders. Pictured are police in London
A 67-year-old grandmother was left with severe bruising all over her body after being knocked down by an e-scooter rider in Kettering, Northamptonshire
She told the Daily Mail how she wants e-scooters to be legalised, as a step towards better regulating their use – as well as mandatory wearing of helmets and a ban on carrying people as passengers.
She said: ‘We didn’t want to be in this position but the Government’s not been clear enough on what’s right and wrong.
‘There’s not enough information being shared with families – and not enough regulation. There’s talk of consultation but it feels like kicking the can down the road.’
She told of being able to tell her eight-year-old son Jaxley he could go into a shop and buy an e-scooter with no prevention – nor any safety warnings.
Ms Calland added: ‘I’m not going to stop campaigning. The government say they’ll make changes – I won’t allow them not to. It won’t be worth their while ignoring me.’
The calls come amid a series of other concerning cases, such as a female e-scooter rider crashing into a 67-year-old grandmother who was left badly injured.
CCTV footage showed the woman, believed to be in her 30s, knocking Shirley Smith to the ground along Windmill Avenue in Kettering, Northamptonshire, on April 9 2024.
The pensioner was left with severe bruising all over her body and is still seeking medical treatment for back pain.
Road safety campaigners have called on the Government to ‘urgently’ bring forward legislation to crackdown on ‘wild west misuse’ of the vehicles by strengthening device standards
Carly Calland, pictured with son Jaxley, wants better regulation of e-scooter sales and use
Mooted legislation by the current Government has suggested forcing e-scooter riders to display licence plates, pass a test and have insurance – but campaigners say current UK safety proposals are not tough enough.
Other measures being drawn up by ministers include a minimum age for users and forcing manufacturers to limit their speed.
The aim is to tackle a black market of ‘menace’ scooters which has seen some modified into vehicles almost as large as small motorbikes or else turbo-charged to go at speeds of up to 70mph.
The Daily Mail revealed how e-scooters were linked to more than 20,000 crimes over three years, including drug trafficking, sex offences, thefts and even a ‘drive-by’ shooting.
New figures show there were 1,312 collisions involving e-scooters in 2024, up from 1,292 the previous year.
And 1,390 casualties suffered injuries in collisions involving e-scooters, compared to 1,387 in 2023, Department for Transport analysis shows.
And the age group most affected by such collisions is those aged between 10 and 19, with 302 casualties in 2024.
This was followed by 188 20-to-29-year-olds, 130 aged from 30 to 39, 76 between 40 and 49 and 49 between 50 and 59.
Figures released by the DfT found in the year leading up to June 2023, 556 of 1,080 casualties caused by e-scooter collisions were caused by scooters used outside designated trial areas
As calls for more action rise, a Government source told the Mail: ‘E-scooters can be a great way to get around, but they must be properly regulated, safe for pedestrians as well as riders, and we must ensure they cannot clutter up our streets.’
And prominent road laws lawyer Nick Freeman, known as Mr Loophole, said the current law was effectively acting as an ‘open invitation to commit any form of offence and avoid detection’.
He added: ‘The delay to bringing in proper legislation is effectively giving the green light for e-scooters to be used to commit all forms of criminal activity.
‘They’re stealth-like, and there are no registration plates, so the police have very little chance of apprehending anyone. They’re a menace.
‘E-scooters are subject to the Road Traffic Act 1988, but they don’t need registration, and that’s the vital piece of the jigsaw that’s missing. It makes current legislation impotent. Licensing them and registering them is the start, so that they’re treated like mopeds.’
The proposed crackdown would target privately-owned e-scooters rather than those available to rent, as these already require proof of a driving licence and age.
Ministers hope that introducing a basic test could improve safety, as young users currently jump on them without a driving licence or any knowledge of the roads.
According to Government sources, ministers will consult on a minimum age of 14 for using the scooters, as some children use them to get to school.
Ms Calland has campaigned for tighter restrictions around the use of e-scooters
Introducing mandatory ‘rider training’, akin to a driving licence for motorists, will also be considered, as will insurance – although sources have stressed this was unlikely to be adopted due to the sky-high cost of premiums.
By contrast, insurance for e-scooters in countries such as Germany is available for as little as £20 a year.
Transport charity PACTS told of an estimated 1million privately-owned e-scooters in Britain, with only about 20,000 used legally through regulated rental trial schemes.
Fears have also been raised about ‘dangerous’ imports from China, especially high-power scooters and unsafe batteries which have caused fires within buildings.
The council said: ‘Conversion kits and battery imports currently lack adequate regulation.’
Margaret Winchcomb, of the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety, called for ‘long-promised legislation’ to finally tackle ‘the irresponsible sales of illegal vehicles to children and improve safety for all road users’.
And her group has submitted a new report to MPs, in which it says there has been ‘under-reporting’ of e-scooter casualties amid a ‘lack of public understanding’.
The newly published study says: ‘Privately owned e-scooters are illegal to use in public spaces, yet there are limited checks on their sale, including to children.
Jacob Calland, 14, died in an e-scooter accident in March 2024 in Wythenshawe, Manchester
‘Many adults and parents are unaware of the rules or dangers, and e-scooter use has become linked to antisocial behaviour.’
Campaigners have accused bike firms of promoting online the sales of e-scooters ‘with minimal warnings’.
And the charity wants schools to issue ‘national education packs’ which would provide ‘honest, impactful material showing the consequences of unsafe use’.
Recommendations in the new report to MPs suggest banning their sale to and use by anyone aged under 18, a new licence scheme for those who can own them and compulsory insurance.
PACTS also wants ministers to make helmets mandatory, bar riders from taking on passengers and ramp up information sharing about e-scooter dangers.
The group said: ‘Many people have no idea that it is illegal to use a privately owned e-scooter in public.
‘There needs to be an awareness campaign, particularly amongst children and parents.’
Helen Maguire, Liberal Democrats MP for Epsom and Ewell in Surrey, is also in favour of a new crackdown.
After hosting an e-scooter summit at Westminster’s Portcullis House, she said: ‘E-scooters have the potential to be part of a safe and sustainable transport system.
‘However, the current lack of legislation in the UK means that e-scooters used outside trial areas are illegal, often lack sufficient safety standards, and have been associated with problems such as anti-social behaviour.’
Dr Charlotte Durand, joint speciality clinical director and consultant in paediatric emergency medicine at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool, told of departments seeing soaring numbers of e-scooter accident casualties since 2019.
These have included life-changing traumatic brain injuries as well as deaths – and she warned that ‘most’ families remained in the dark about e-scooter laws and dangers.
She said: ‘Engagement with children and their families is vital as well as clear public health messaging and education to ensure our most vulnerable members of the community are protected from serious injury from e-scooters.’
The former Conservative government under then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson launched a trial looking into the use of e-scooters in July 2020 and which was originally meant to run until November the following year.
It has been extended five times and is presently not meant to end until May 2028.
The Department for Transport says on its website that a previous extension until May this year would ‘build on current learning across areas including usage, safety, and environmental impacts’.
Lib Dems MP Helen Maguire (left) and Labour MP Simon Lightwood (right) have both been raising concerns in Parliament about e-scooters
That would also ‘explore changing travel patterns since the coronavirus pandemic and as e-scooters become more embedded in public life’.
The trial’s renewal towards May 2028 is said to ‘help fill evidence gaps and gather new learning’ about e-scooter safety, ‘the impact of local area characteristics’ and how e-scooters ‘contribute to meeting new government missions’.
A DfT spokesperson told the Daily Mail: ‘E-scooters must be safe for everyone on the road, which is why we have committed to pursuing legislation to regulate them as soon as possible.’
Meanwhile, new Government figures show nine out of 10 inspections of e-scooter retailers discovered the devices being sold unlawfully.
The AA said the rules for e-scooters were either ‘misunderstood’ or else ‘thousands of people are openly breaking the law’.
A total of 42 out of 47 visits to e-scooter retailers by Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency officials in the year to the end of April found devices being sold either illegally or without proper guidance of legal restrictions.
The figures were revealed by transport minister Simon Lightwood in response to a parliamentary written question.
Mr Lightwood attributed the rate to ‘poor levels of compliance being found in the online marketplace’.
He wrote: ‘In that year, DVSA’s market surveillance unit looked into higher proportions sold in online markets due to apparent shifts in the way such items are sold.’
Some 41 out of 58 inspections found e-scooters being sold in an unlawful manner in 2023-2024 and 79 out of 93 inspections in 2022-2023.
Under consumer laws, retailers selling e-scooters are required to provide guidance on how their use is regulated.
Legal schemes involving rental e-scooters are ongoing in a number of towns and cities in England.
These e-scooters have safety features such as a maximum speed of 12.5mph, a maximum weight without a rider of 55kg, and a mandatory bell or horn.
AA president Edmund King said it was ‘reassuring’ to know the DVSA was ‘actively investigating’ e-scooter sales.
AA president Edmund King has welcomed new investigations into the e-scooter industry
He added: ‘The only e-scooters allowed legally on public roads in England are those involved in the Government’s 18 approved trials.
‘However, either that message is misunderstood, or thousands of people are openly breaking the law, as the sight of non-rental e-scooters on the roads is a common occurrence.
‘The recently published road safety strategy says the Department for Transport is gathering evidence through the extended trials, implementing strict safety regulations, and preparing for potential future legislation.
‘The sooner legislation is introduced governing the safe design, top speeds and use of e-scooters the better, as currently the uncertainty amongst the public and with retailers is leading to dangerous products used unsafely on highways.’
