Whether driving or scootering, we all take risks

I’ve been thinking about the concept of acceptance of risk — and scooters and automobiles.

Last week, my colleagues Kelsey Bradshaw and Katie Hall wrote a story about scooter safety in the wake of the city’s first known serious injury involving one of those vehicles since Bird and Lime brought them into the Austin market in April. The woman, helmet-less and riding a Lime scooter, hit a curb Sunday, pitched forward and hit her head on the pavement.

Officials have not released the woman’s name or her condition, but witnesses at the scene said it didn’t look good.

I’ve taken a few scooter rides in the past several months, and of course witnessed many more while driving around the downtown area. As the weeks have gone on, I’ve found myself shying away from using them.

I feel a bit unsteady on a scooter, and I’m neither comfortable navigating around pedestrians on sidewalks (where that’s legal) nor eager to ride a scooter in a regular traffic lane with cars. And of course, I don’t carry a hel- met with me. And although the scooter companies encourage helmet use, officially and on their apps, the reality is that almost no one is going to have one handy.

About six years ago, riding a bike about 5 mph while on vacation, I contrived to get the front wheel catawampus (long story) and went down quickly and hard to the pavement, cracking a rib. So, at my age and ability, the idea of going suddenly from upright on a speedy scooter to eating asphalt is pretty distasteful.

But I see plenty of people riding them at or close to their top speed of 15 mph, zipping down curb cuts from the sidewalk, across an intersection and on their breezy way. I find myself thinking, boy, I sure hope you know what you’re doing.

But, at the same time, I am OK with getting behind the wheel of my Mazda CX5 and driving hundreds of miles at up to 80 mph, sometimes passing big trucks with a concrete jersey barrier 3 feet to my left and the 18-wheeler the same distance from my right fender. I might grip the steering wheel a bit harder at those moments, but to get to where I’m going

LYNDA M. GONZALEZ / AMERICAN-STATESMAN A man rides a Lime scooter in downtown Austin on Wednesday. Last week, a Lime scooter rider was seriously injured in South Austin when she hit a curb, pitched forward and struck her head on the pavement.