Two high school students killed in latest e-scooter accident

ANTALYA

Two high school students in the southern province of Antalya have become the latest victims of e-scooter accidents, which have become a hot topic of security debate in the country.

According to local media, 18-year-old Mahmut Yağız Balcı and Ada Kayahan hired an e-scooter to go home after school.

A reckless driver hit the two friends on the e-scooter while driving fast in his vehicle. The two friends, who were thrown away from the e-scooter due to the impact, died at the scene.

Police detained the driver and depicted the speed of the vehicle, highlighting that the vehicle left tire traces for about 30 meters due to harsh braking.

Türkiye witnessed the first e-scooter victim, İlknur Akkaya, in Istanbul on Oct. 26, 2021. A driver inside the car had opened the door and knocked her off the e-scooter into the main road, the door hitting her as she was passing. A bus driving by killed Akkaya.

A vehicle hit an e-scooter on April 21 in the southeastern province of Gaziantep and caused the death of a high school student. On July 12, a 23-year-old dancer was killed in Istanbul’s Şişli district.

The latest e-scooter accident happened again in Antalya on Aug. 29 when an Iranian tourist on an e-scooter was hit and killed by a Russian car driver.