E-scooters: a new urban menace?
Q: I was walking on the sidewalk by the Capital building in Washington, D.C., and I almost got killed by one of these new electric scooters that are popping up everywhere. They are a menace to the riders and those around them! This is a public health issue, is it not?—Andy F., Bethesda, Maryland
A: You bet it is! From San Francisco to San Diego and from Cambridge, Mass., to Miami (including D.C.), these electric scooters are popping up as part of rideshare initiatives. And every place they show up, there’s a notable spike in emergency department visits for treatment of injuries more commonly associated with automobile accidents: broken hands, collarbones and jaws and concussions. The Washington Post recently interviewed emergency docs in seven major U.S. cities, from Austin, Texas, to Nashville, Tenn., and all of them reported increased injury rates after these rideshare programs started.
No matter how dangerous they are, looks like they’re here to stay. According to scooter advocates, these new alternative modes of public transportation are meant to “encourage safer and more sustainable transportation patterns” and there’s a lot of big money behind them. One scooter start-up company out of Santa Monica, Calif., just picked up $100 million in funding with plans to expand into 50 new markets before 2019.
What can be done to protect the riders who seem not to have the brains to protect themselves? California and Oregon now require helmets for E-scooter riders, while municipalities such as Los Angeles, San Francisco, Nashville, Cleveland, Cambridge and neighboring Somerville, Mass., have ordered one company to get them off the streets, since they put electric ride-share scooters on the streets without obtaining the proper permits.
We suggest riders stay in bike lanes, out of the flow of traffic and off pedestrian walkways. Helmets and knee and elbow pads are good safety precautions, too. As for pedestrians? Lobby for enforcing existing rules with your city councils, and keep your eyes wide open.