Family of boy, 12, who died in Birmingham e-scooter crash call for trial schemes to be banned

• ITV Central reporter Raheem Rashid speaks to the family of Mustafa Nadeem

The family of a 12-year-old boy who died in an e-scooter crash on his way to school have called for e-scooter trial schemes to be banned until major safety changes are made.

Mustafa Nadeem is believed to have been riding an e-scooter when he collided with a bus in Bordesley Green earlier this month (6 December).

He was confirmed dead at the scene.

His father, Nadeem Khan, said: “We want to stop these scooters because I lost my son. I don’t want anybody else to lose their son or daughter.

"So that’s why we want to stop these scooters because they don’t have safety."

Just days after his father buried him, he’s still haunted by the day he found out he’d lost his son.

He said: “When the police called me, the officer called me, he said your son has passed away - I was shocked.

"I came back home - it was a very hard time for me that day - I can’t forget that day."

• Mustafa's father says he is still haunted by the moment he found out his son had died

'How many more children have got to die,' says Liam Byrne, the MP for Birmingham Hodge Hill

The family’s local MP Liam Byrne said there could be more death unless immediate changes are made. 

He said: “How many more children have got to die before they fix the ridiculous lapsed safety rules around these scooter pilots?

"All of my constituents are really clear in my resident’s meeting that these things should just be banned.

"I’m saying to the government loud and clear, look, we need to make sure we put children’s safety before the profits of Voi technology and actually make sure that we’ve got something that is safe because right now it’s obvious - they’re not safe.”

• MP Liam Byrne warns there could be more deaths as a result of e-scooter accidents

Since trials popped up across the country, e-scooter accidents have skyrocketed.

Figures in the year ending June 2022 show that there were nearly 1,437 casualties in collisions involving e-scooters, compared to 1,033 in the year before.

While the number of people who've died in e-scooter accidents has tripled:

• The Mayor of the West Midlands says lessons will be learnt from Mustafa's death

In conjunction with Birmingham City Council, the Mayor of the West Midlands released a joint statement, saying: “There is a real public interest in this but all we can say at this stage is incredible sympathy with the family who’ve lost a dear son, and our hearts go out to them."

He added: "But we’re very clear that we have to wait for the police investigation to find out exactly what has happened, how this came about, and then of course the lessons will be drawn."

The Department for Transport said: “We extend our deepest sympathies to the family of the boy involved in this tragic incident.

“Safety is at the heart of our e-scooter trials and we have set minimum standards for e-scooters design, as well as regulations and guidance on speed limits, helmets and precautions to keep everyone safe.”

While Voi said: “Safety is Voi’s first priority and, after such a tragic accident, our thoughts are with Mustafa Nadeem’s family and friends during this very difficult time.“We are unable to provide further comment or substantiate speculation regarding the accident as there is an ongoing investigation by West Midlands Police that needs to be respected. Voi is working closely with the police to support their investigation.“Mustafa’s accident is a tragic reminder of the importance of account holders acting safely and responsibly when using our service. E-scooters, while fully equipped with the latest safety features, are not toys and children should never be given access to them as they are designated as motor vehicles and approved for road usage by the Department for Transport.“Only those over 18-years-old with a valid provisional driver's licence and a valid method of payment, which is verified by a third-party provider, can ride a rental e-scooter.

"The rules are made very clear on the scooter itself, numerous times during the sign-up process as well as regularly via in-app messaging. Those caught sharing their accounts will be banned from the service as well as face potential criminal prosecution.”