Boys dies in micro scooter accident

Over 30,000 micro scooters have been sold in the UK

A nine-year-old boy has died after the micro scooter he was riding was in a collision with a taxi.

Aaron Jennings was riding the scooter near his home in Anfield, Liverpool, when the accident happened.

Police believe he rode onto the road at traffic lights and collided with a black Hackney cab.

It is our worst fears come true

Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents

He was taken to the Royal Liverpool Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

The driver of the taxi was not hurt, but is said to be in shock.

Merseyside Police are appealing for witnesses who saw the accident, which happened at about 1600 BST on Monday, to come forward.

Micro scooters have become the big travel trend of the year.

They are similar in shape to normal push scooters but are made of aircraft-grade aluminium, making them very light weight.

Dangers

They can reach speeds of approximately 25mph, and are popular with both children and adults - particularly commuters.

A spokesman for the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) said Aaron's death was a tragedy.

"We warned just a few weeks ago of the dangers of this craze and that something like this might happen - it is our worst fears come true," he said.

The scooters can reach speeds of about 25mph

Earlier this month trading standards officers issued a warning over one brand of micro scooter after five children were injured in accidents.

One girl had part of her finger sliced off and needed surgery.

Importers Olop Leisure Group and retailers Woolworths were banned from selling the 900 RTT micro scooter after it failed part of a toy safety standard test carried out by officers.

RoSPA said children should not use the micro scooters on roads, or even to cross roads, and should not use them in busy pedestrian areas.

The last similar trend to result in deaths was in-line roller skating. Several people died as a result of collisions.

RoSPA said it did not want to see the same situation develop with scooters.