“He didn’t pay attention to what was going on ahead of him”
This is the moment an e-scooter rider had a lucky escape when he crashed head-on into a car being driven at the notorious crossroads junction in North Bristol. The rider – on board one of the legal e-scooters run by hire firm Dott – was trying to turn right at the crossroads but lost control and ploughed straight into the front of a car being driven in the other direction.
The moment was captured by a local taxi driver, who said it was the latest incident of scooter riders getting involved in collisions, and urged riders to take more care and wear crash helmets.
The incident happened at the crossroads junction of Wessex Avenue and Filton Avenue, at 4.41pm on Monday, October 20. The collision was captured on dashcam by a taxi driver from Rufus Taxis Bristol, who was travelling east along Wessex Avenue, approaching the Filton Avenue crossroads in Horfield.
As the taxi driver stopped at a red light on Wessex Avenue, an e-scooter entered the junction heading south on Filton Avenue and began to turn right onto Wessex Avenue. The driver of a white car was heading north over the crossroads on a green light, and the e-scooter rider simply didn’t stop to give the car driver the right of way.
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A split second before the impact, the scooter rider takes one foot off the board to try to stop, but it was too late, and he went face first over the handlebars and onto the bonnet of the car. The driver of the white car was going slow enough to be able to stop instantly, and miraculously the e-scooter rider appeared relatively unhurt from the collision, but the video did show damage to the front of the car.
The junction here is traffic light controlled, but none of the approach from Wessex Avenue, either approach on Filton Avenue and the approach from Lockleaze Road have filter lanes or road markings to guide road users if they are turning right. Local residents have long complained of prangs, near misses and challenges for pedestrians.
The moment the rider of an e-scooter collides head on with a car being driven on Filton Avnue in Horfield, Bristol(Image: Rufus Taxis Bristol)
For Ugi from Rufus Taxis Bristol, a recently-launched new taxi firm in Bristol that is proving popular for airport runs, the incident was yet another example of the dangers of e-scooters. “The scooter rider was trying to turn right, and I’m not sure what the car driver wanted to do,” he said.
“The scooter guy seemed to be alright. He didn’t pay attention to what was going on ahead of him. The scooter rider had no helmet, no protection – this could have ended much worse. It’s a reminder to always wear a helmet and stay alert, these scooters can be more dangerous than they seem,” he added.