Where to Ride an E-Scooter
Pedestrians, as well as city planners, have thought about the question of how to keep e-scooter riders off the sidewalks, but new research from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) raises the question of where e-scooters should be ridden.
Statistics show that there are not many e-scooter accidents involving motor vehicles, which may be the result of scooter riders using sidewalks. However, that mode of transport raises concerns about e-scooter riders crashing into pedestrians.
Can I Ride an E-Scooter on the Sidewalk?
Many cities throughout the country have placed restrictions that limit e-scooter usage on sidewalks. Others have barred them outright from all areas designated for pedestrians. Advocacy groups such as the National Disability Rights Network have also worked toward more regulation due to their own safety concerns.
Where is the Safest Place to Ride an E-Scooter?
Between March and November 2019, IIHS researchers conducted interviews of more than one hundred riders of e-scooters who had sustained injuries that landed them in the emergency department. One study looked at the seriousness of the injuries related to how and where they were injured. Another compared rider demographics, injuries, and usage patterns to those of a group of bicyclists who had taken part in an earlier study.
Generally, the research found that riders of e-scooters were injured more frequently per traveled mile than bicyclists, but that those on bikes were three times more likely to be hit by cars. The e-scooter riders were two times more likely as cyclists to sustain injuries due to pavement cracks, potholes, or other conditions of infrastructure.
In the study, close to three out of five e-scooter users suffered injuries while operating the scooter on the sidewalk. One-third of that group was riding on the sidewalk in areas where the activity was prohibited. Only approximately one out of every five e-scooter riders were injured riding while traveling within a trail, bike lane, or on another off-road route.
The Answer is Unclear
The answer is not yet clear as to where is the safest place to ride an e-scooter. Research suggests that making riders move off of sidewalks could put them at greater risk of serious injuries, though they may suffer fewer injuries overall. The e-scooter riders who were injured while riding in travel lanes near motor vehicles, in general, suffered more serious injuries than those who were riding on trails, sidewalks, or bike lanes.
Watch the YouTube video uploaded by Consumer Reports on e-scooter safety.
Types of Injuries Caused by E-Scooters
Concussions were commonly sustained by both bicyclists and e-scooter riders. E-scooter riders were less likely to wear a helmet. Because most e-scooter riders studied had used pay-per-use scooters, they most often did not have access to a helmet. Many riders said that even if the company provided a helmet with the e-scooter, they would have concerns about hygiene and may have chosen not to wear it.
Rider Inexperience Leads to Injuries
E-scooter usage looks as though it will continue to increase rapidly over the foreseeable future. Some of the minor injuries sustained by riders may disappear as the market continues to mature. Close to 40 percent of the subjects interviewed in the emergency department had been injured on their first time riding an e-scooter. Inexperience increases the risk of a crash for nearly every form of transportation.
Chico Personal Injury Lawyer
Hello, and thank you for reading. I’m Ed Smith, a personal injury lawyer in Chico, California. For more than 38 years, I have advocated on behalf of injured Chico residents and their families. No one wants to deal with insurance company tactics while trying to recover from injuries. Our experienced injury lawyers can help you navigate the pitfalls of your legal claim for damages. If you have been injured in a car crash that was caused by someone else’s negligence, our injury lawyers can provide free and friendly advice. Give us a call at (530) 392-9400 or toll-free from outside the (530) region at (800) 404-5400.
Photo Attribution: https://pixabay.com/photos/e-scooter-roller-electric-scooter-5432641/
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