By Gordon Berry and Ben Supple

A WARNING has been issued after a Kirkcaldy teenager died on Monday night and his friend was badly injured when their motorised scooter was involved in a crash.

Dean Laird (13), a second-year pupil at Kirkcaldy High School who lived in the Chapel Hill area, died when the scooter he was riding was involved in a collision with a Ford Transit van on Glamis Road at around 8.20pm.

The other 13-year-old boy on the scooter, who has not been named, was taken to Dunfermline’s Queen Margaret Hospital with head, leg and pelvic injuries. His condition was described as “stable” by a Fife NHS spokesman yesterday.

Police in Fife and a national road safety organisation have issued a stark warning about the dangers of motorised scooters in the wake of the tragedy, only days after the Tayside force expressed concern over the machines.

Last night Chief Inspector Bob Farmer, of Fife’s road policing department, said such scooters, which can travel at speeds of around 20mph, are intended for use off-road where the potential for harm is, arguably, reduced.

A Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents spokesman said it is dangerous to use them on the road.

“They are difficult to see because they are small, and motorists will not be expecting to see them.

“Their small wheels render them unstable and could easily get stuck in poor road surfaces or pot-holes, bringing the rider to an abrupt halt, and quite likely throwing him or her to the ground.

“They have no lights or reflectors, so users are extremely vulnerable in the dark.”

Dean’s parents were too upset to talk about their loss yesterday.

Friends and locals gathered at the crash site to pay their respects.

Kirkcaldy High rector Robert Fraser described Dean as a “lively and popular pupil,” adding, “The school community has been deeply affected by this tragic loss.”

Meanwhile, the senior investigating officer, Inspector John McDonald, said police are keen to trace any witnesses who may have seen the scooter being driven around the general Templehall area of Kirkcaldy that night.

He said he is particularly interested in tracing the driver of a light-coloured car who may have had a ‘near miss’ with such a scooter about 8pm on Fair Isle Road, Kirkcaldy.

The officer added that any members of the public who encounter these machines on the road are urged to report the matter to the police.