Man Sentenced for Drug-Impaired E-Scooter Crash

A 20-year-old individual has received a driving prohibition subsequent to colliding an electric scooter with a stationary vehicle while impaired by drugs. Macaulay Whittaker, residing at Jenkins Street, Trowbridge, admitted culpability for two charges of drug driving, in addition to careless driving, operating a vehicle without a licence, and operating a vehicle without insurance. On 19 December, at Salisbury Magistrates’ Court, he was prohibited from driving for a period of two-and-a-half years and assigned an order for unpaid work. PC Windsor-Hichens, a roads policing officer, characterized Whittaker’s conduct as “incredibly dangerous”. She further stated, “Not only did he put other road users and pedestrians at risk, the owner of the vehicle had not long got out of it,” adding, “If Whittaker had collided with him, then he could’ve caused him a serious injury.” According to Wiltshire Police, Whittaker was operating an e-scooter at high speed along Wicker Hill, Trowbridge, on 18 June, when he improperly navigated a left-hand turn. He subsequently struck a Honda CR-V that was parked by the roadside, resulting in him being ejected from the scooter. Whittaker sustained severe head injuries and necessitated hospital care. Subsequent analysis revealed the presence of both cannabis and cocaine in his bodily system. In addition to the driving prohibition, Whittaker was issued an 18-month community order. This mandates him to fulfill 140 hours of unpaid labor and 30 days of rehabilitation activity requirements. PC Windsor-Hichens clarified that operating an e-scooter on any public roads is unlawful “unless you are in a trial area – and even then you require a driving licence and insurance to ride legally”. She further remarked, “This is a reminder that there are no trial areas for e-scooters within Swindon or Wiltshire, which means it is against the law to ride any privately owned e-scooters on our roads.”