Dan Wootton: E-Scooters 'disaster waiting to happen'

“Death traps”.

That’s how the Met Police has described E-Scooters, which I agree are a disaster waiting to happen on our pavements.

The tragic reality came to the streets of Wolverhampton this week.

Shakur Amoy Pinnock, who was just 20-years-old, died after his e-scooter collided with a car.

His girlfriend, who was riding as a passenger on the e-scooter, suffered serious injuries but survived.

The sad death follows that of the 35-year-old TV presenter Emily Hartridge whose e-scooter collided with a lorry in London in 2019.

And I fear more tragedies like this will follow if nothing changes.

Recent research by ITV showed a further 210 people have suffered injuries related to e-scooters.

They are becoming are an out-of-control plague on our streets and pavements.

Not only do the e-scooter drivers put their own lives at risk, they terrify pedestrians as they whip between the footpath and road, often at high-speeds.

Officially, e-scooters can only be used if they are hired from licensed operators, with speeds limited at 15 and a half miles per hour.

They’re also not meant to be ridden on the pavement.

But – in reality – neither of those rules are followed, with authorities unable to properly police their use.

Some motorised scooters actually clock speeds of over 40 miles per hour.

The Department of Transport is conducting an e-scooter trial, with a decision due next year.

They must think seriously before legalising these dangerous vehicles.

Congratulations to the Education Select Committee for speaking what has become unspeakable for the woke class: The use of the term white privilege is incredibly damaging given the educational disadvantage for poor white pupils.

In fact, disadvantaged white students are falling behind “every step of the way”.

The data on this clear.

Take university entry, where only 16 per cent of white British pupils on free school meals achieve places.

That compares to 59 per cent of black African and Bangladeshi pupils on free school meals or 32 per cent of black Caribbean students.

The Committee is absolutely right to say using the term “white privilege” when it comes to education is wrong because it promotes disharmony.

As they said: Education "privilege is the very opposite to what disadvantaged white children" experience.

Tomorrow marks five years since we went to the polls to vote in historic numbers to leave the European Union.

Our superb vaccine rollout proves every minute of every day that our decision was the correct one.

The EU have proven themselves time and again to be petty and pathetic since we made that democratic decision to wave goodbye.

Case in point this week is its attempt to cut the amount of British content shown on European TV, pointing to the need for “cultural diversity”.

Good luck trying to erase The Crown, Poldark and Downton Abbey in favour of the sorts on unwatchable dramas and entertainment shows that dominate European networks.

Culturally, Britain is in a different league.

But perhaps the most jaw dropping story of the day is the fact that when the Sussexes were welcoming their new-born daughter into the world, one of their Hollywood minions was registering her very own website domain addresses.

Their spokesman tried to explain the mad move to The Daily Telegraph by saying: “As is often customary with public figures, a significant number of domains of any potential names that were considered were purchased... to protect against the exploitation of the name once it was later chosen and shared.”

Lilibet was minutes old. Hardly a public figure.

The decision seems to cast some doubt on the suggestion the Sussexes asked the Queen’s permission before deciding to call her Lilibet, which is the monarch’s childhood nickname.

As I wrote in a column for the MailOnline today: “In reality it seems like the first people Harry and Meghan told were the only group of advisers who really matter to them: The Californian bean counters who aim to extract millions of bucks from every aspect of their royal brand.

“It’s genuinely astonishing to me that even when going through what should be one of the most beautiful, pure and nerve-wracking moments of their lives, the Sussex machine was thinking about bloody websites.”

It’s so Hollywood and shows just how much Harry has changed