Electric Scooter Riding Safety

The popularity of Electric scooter is growing and it becomes a new transportation method for people live in the city. There many motives for consumers to make this purchase choice. However, the heavy vehicle traffic jam and tight parking spot definitely contribute to the growing of its popularity. Different from vehicles, there is no specific path designated for scooters. Thus, scooter riders driving it anywhere when possible.

The speed of E-scooter can reach 20 MPH. I found one of the popular scooter brand, Unagi scooter. The max speed shows on their official website is 20 MPH. (20MPH = 8.94m/s)

The speed of adult walking is 1.5m/s. the speed of e-scooter is almost 6 times of adult normal walking speed. People fall down can cause injury, not even to the rider of e-scooter. Without proper protection measures, the injuries can be predicted, which is also prevented.

In a study of e-scooter injuries, Kathleen Yaremchuk, M.D., chair of the Department of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery, says a review of emergency visits in the last three years shows e-scooter injuries have increased significantly with many of them related to head and neck injuries. The study's break down on the type of injuries shows that head and neck injuries made up nearly 28% of the total injuries.

In a different study of scooter injury, almost half of the injured riders reported sustaining a “severe injury,” The study authors define severe injuries as bone fractures (84 percent); nerve, tendon, or ligament injuries (45 percent); severe bleeding (5 percent); and sustained organ damage (1 percent).

“These injuries may have been preventable,” the study concludes. “Studies have shown that bicycle riders reduce the risk of head and brain injuries by wearing a helmet. Helmet use might also reduce the risk of head and brain injuries in the event of an e-scooter crash.”

To safely riding an electric scooter, Aurora sports will propose the following action:

l Observe traffic laws, focus on the path ahead and watch for pedestrians, cars and other obstacles

l Understand the specifications, features and capabilities of the specific e-scooter you will be riding. Do consult with the scooter company if you need training before using it.

l Wear a quality helmet. There is no standard developed for scooter helmet, the bicycle helmet can be applied for now. In U.S., it is CPSC 1203; in EU countries, it is CE EN 1078.

Citation site：

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/most-e-scooter-injuries-preventable-cdc-report-finds-2019-05-02/

https://www.theverge.com/2019/5/2/18526813/scooter-electric-injury-austin-cdc-study-head-helmet