THE Venezuelan national who was struck by a vehicle while riding an electric scooter in Cunupia on Monday morning has died.She was identified as 35-year-old Rusimine Riaz, of Mon Plaisir Road, Cunupia.Police said Riaz suffered severe head and spinal injuries and had been receiving treatment at the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex, Mt Hope. She died on Tuesday night.The incident occurred around 2 a.m. near the Jerningham Road junction. Riaz had just completed a night shift at a food cart along Rodney Road, Endeavour, and was returning to her apartment on Mon Plaisir Road.Police said the driver of a white Nissan Wingroad that struck Riaz stopped at the scene. Responding officers asked whether he had consumed alcohol, to which he reportedly replied, “Yes sir, I drink.”A breathalyser test was administered and indicated that the driver was above the legal alcohol limit. He was detained at the scene.Police also noted that Riaz was riding an unlicensed elec­tric scooter and remin­ded road users to comply with the law.Let migrants getdriver’s licencesHead of the La Romaine Migrant Support (LARMS)Angie Ramnarine called on members of the migrant community to comply with laws governing the use of electric scooters and motorcycles on the nation’s roads.She also renewed calls for the Government to ease restrictions that prevent migrants from obtaining dri­ver’s licen­ces.Ramnarine, who has worked with migrant communities since 2018, has been involved in educational programmes for migrant children and efforts to help migrants secure legitimate employment.While expressing sympathy for Riaz and her family, Ramnarine said greater awareness of road traffic laws was needed within the migrant community.“I think when it was announced that they could not ride these electric scooters, a lot of people had bought and then had to either sell them over or chuck them in. So, just like so many of them drive without licences, I knew the same thing was going to happen with the scooters,” she said during a telephone interview on Tuesday.At the same time, she stressed the importance of complying with local laws.“People have to obey the law as well. As they say, igno­­rance of the law is no excuse,” she said.Ramnarine acknow­ledged that many migrants view electric scooters as an affor­dable means of transportation but said safety and legal compliance must remain the priority.“There needs to be greater awareness of the law, especially in terms of safety. And it is an unfortunate situation where a migrant was negatively impacted, even as she was illegally using a scooter,” she said.In a media release issued on March 17, the Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation advised that operating unre­gistered electric scooters and motorcycles on public roads without the required driver’s permit is an offence under the Motor Vehicles and Road Traffic Act.“Persons found in contravention of the relevant provisions of the Motor Vehicles and Road Traffic Act will be subject to enforcement action in accordance with the law,” it stated.Ramnarine appealed to the Government to “soften” the laws to allow for migrants to access driver’s licences.“We have been advoca­ting for that for some time now. We have made several calls for the Government to soften the laws for migrants to acquire a Trinidad and Tobago driver’s licence,” she said.