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Are electric scooters really dangerous?

On Behalf of | Nov 5, 2019 | personal injury |

Electric scooters seem to be in the California news quite a bit because of injuries related to using them. With every new story, it seems that there is a push to ban the scooters or make more regulations associated with them. If someone has never used an electric scooter, they may wonder if they are as dangerous as the news stories make them out to be. 

Forbes explains that the danger of electric scooters relates mostly to the driver’s skills. Most accidents and fatalities occur because the person riding the scooter did not understand how to properly operate it or the rules of riding a scooter in a particular area. In fact, the danger of a scooter seems to lie in the rider. 

A failure to be safe 

One of the biggest issues with electric scooter riders is that they do not pay attention to even the most straightforward safety rules. Most riders fail to wear a helmet, which opens them up to injury. Riders also often multitask while riding, which takes their attention away from navigating. They even fail to follow instructions and adhere to general road rules, including those concerning right of way. 

Common issues 

A study of an LA hospital showed that most often, scooter accident injuries come from accidents with vehicles or collisions with objects and falls. Some cases were severe, while others had only minor injuries. Each issue results from preventable causes. 

The e-scooter is not dangerous per se on its own. Combine it with a rider and it becomes dangerous because it is the rider who holds most of the blame for accidents that occur with these scooters. If riders paid more attention and followed basic rules and laws, there would be far fewer accidents. So, it all comes back to the rider’s inability to safely use the e-scooter and not the e-scooter being naturally harmful.