Environment / Warning after another motorbike tyre punctured by thrown-away vape
ANOTHER motorcycle driver has spoken out about the dangers of vapes being thrown on the road after one punctured her tyre in the Gulberwick area last week.
Vaila Smith said she was thankfully able to control her bike after the tyre blew and could carry on until she stopped.
But she said the end result could have been much worse.
The issue of discarded single-use vapes causing danger on local roads was previously reported by Shetland News last year after a biker similarly suffered a burst tyre. In that instance the driver was also able to pull in safely.
The type of the vape in both incidents was the same – ElfBar.
Smith’s puncture happened last week as she was taking her bike for a run south through Gulberwick.
She said it “could have caused a serious accident”.
“I had just come through the temporary traffic lights in Gulberwick so the traffic had not reached full speed when the tyre blew out,” Smith said.
“Had we have been going 60mph or around a bend the outcome could have been very different.”
Prior to that youth worker Laura Hughes had spoken out about the number of discarded vapes she picked up on walks around Scalloway.
Youth worker keen to see councillors back campaign to ban single-use vapes
Members of an eco youth group which met in Scalloway also wrote to all councillors asking them if they would consider joining other Scottish local authorities in calling for a ban.
There are both environmental and health concerns over disposable vapes, as well as their use by children.
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