Driver 'blown away' by e-scooter rider's 'scary' act with child
Locals labelled the man a 'moron' after an image was posted online.
A dad has been slammed for an “unsafe” e-scooter act caught on camera by a passing motorist.
The man was spotted by a driver stopped at a red light on a road with his hands on the scooter’s handlebars and a young girl, who is not wearing a helmet, sitting on his shoulders. Her arms appear to be holding onto his neck.
Concerned about the child’s wellbeing, the horrified driver detailed their shock online.
“Saw this today, completely blown away about how unsafe this was,” the image of the e-scooter rider is captioned. “He zoomed off down the bike lane before I could share my thoughts with him.”
Sarcastically, the driver added that “at least he’s wearing a helmet”.
Backlash over scooter act
The incident, which reportedly took place in Auckland, New Zealand, last week, has left locals stunned, many of which said they were “worried about the kid falling onto the asphalt”.
“Legit so scary to see — poor cute bubs could get really hurt from a fall and the sidewalks aren’t exactly scooter friendly around the city,” one Reddit user commented, adding “guy is an idiot and the mum would rightly be livid seeing this”.
“Oh god I’m so sick worrying about this poor girl up there,” another person wrote. “Even aside from him making a bunch of mistakes or getting hit etc ... she could let go.”
A handful of others joked that at least the dad was wearing his “safety gloves” and had Crocs on his feet. “I've never seen anyone on a scooter who looked ready for parenthood,” someone else said, as another deemed the man a “moron”.
E-scooter rules in NZ
Whether you’re on a private or a rental e-scooter, riders must abide by a set of rules defined by the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA).
“E-scooters can be used on the footpath or the road, except in designated cycle lanes that are part of the road (which were designed for the sole use of cyclists),” the agency says on its website.
On the footpath the user must, operate the device in a careful and considerate manner, operate at a speed that does not put others on the footpath at risk, give way to both pedestrians and drivers of mobility devices.
On the road, e-scooters must be operated as near to the edge of the road as safely possible, and while a helmet is not legally required to be worn, it is recommended, NZTA said.
Earlier this month, it was announced that e-scooter riders in Queensland could face huge fines under new laws aimed at cracking down on those caught doing the wrong thing.
In September an Aussie schoolboy died after being struck by a ute while riding his scooter on Father’s Day.
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