A person has died after the electric scooter they were riding and a car collided on a highway in Melbourne’s south-east.
A white Volkswagen station wagon travelling along Princes Highway in Narre Warren and the scooter collided about 5.15pm at the intersection of Raven Crescent.
A commuter rides a scooter on a footpath in Melbourne’s CBD on Monday. Credit:Eddie Jim
In a statement, Victoria Police said the rider, who is yet to be formally identified, died at the scene.
“The driver of the Volkswagen was not injured and stopped to assist,” police said.
Detectives from the major collision unit are at the scene to determine the circumstances of the crash.
The incident comes amid rising concerns about the safety of electric scooters in Melbourne after a visually impaired woman was struck and a young boy was injured by a passing scooter in recent days.
Researchers from Monash University’s Victorian Injury Surveillance Unit recorded 124 visits to emergency departments for electric scooter-related injuries in the year to July 1, 2021, a 359 per cent increase on the previous year.
The research was conducted before the City of Melbourne launched an electric scooter rental trial that added 1500 scooters to the city’s streets in the past two weeks.
On Monday, Victoria Police Assistant Commissioner Glenn Weir said he was concerned about the use of private scooters off private land as it was illegal to use them on a public road, cycle lane or footpath if they have a power output of over 200 watts or can travel at more than 10km/h.
“The ones that are used in the trial are governed to a certain speed, they are geo-fixed so that they can’t go outside the areas where they’re meant to be, and there’s a helmet – so there are significant safety parameters put on these scooters that have been used in the trial,” he said.
“Which is why the privately owned ones that are unregulated are really unsafe.”
Anyone who witnessed the crash, or who may have dashcam footage, is urged to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or submit a confidential report at www.crimestoppersvic.com.au.
With Cara Waters
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