Regulation needed for the scoot of everyone

I NEARLY killed somebody last week. That's not hyperbole - it's a genuine statement.

- DANNY DE VAAL

I was inches away from taking the life of another person.

Let me set the scene. I was driving and about to turn right from a main road onto a side street.

I was completely stationary. I checked my wing and rearview mirrors. I indicated, checked my mirrors one last time, and went to complete the turn.

A young lad on a souped-up e-scooter came whizzing up on my right side.

I jammed on the brakes harder than was needed to stop a car that was barely moving.

If I had made any contact, the e-scooter rider would have lost his balance and fallen.

Like most who rally through the streets of any Irish city across the country, he wasn't wearing a helmet.

Couple that with the speed at which he was going and I'm certain that had he fallen, his injuries would have been catastrophic.

His family would no doubt spend a lifetime grieving a loved one, while I would never be able to shake the guilt of what I had done - no matter how much I tried.

Everybody, I told this story to afterward said it's not my fault if somebody comes out of nowhere.