Scooters have safety problems and the motivation for riding them are quite different to that of bike riders.
The Canberra Times recently reported on problems with e-scooters. ‘Not surprised‘: E-scooters less safe than bikes, study finds: “
“the ACT government said there had been an increase in Canberra hospital admissions due to e-scooter-incidents since ride-share services were established last year”
‘Not surprised‘: E-scooters less safe than bikes, The Canberra Times, 19 February 2021
Drinking and riding
“Riding an e-scooter is less safe than riding a bike, with users less likely to wear protective gear while riding and more likely to have an accident while drunk.”
‘Not surprised‘: E-scooters less safe than bikes, The Canberra Times, 19 February 2021
“Of those who had been tested for alcohol after being admitted to hospital, 48 per cent of e-scooter riders had booze in their system compared with 15 per cent of cyclists.”
‘Not surprised‘: E-scooters less safe than bikes, The Canberra Times, 19 February 2021
Head protection
“The report found just 10 per cent of e-scooter riders were wearing protective gear at the time of their accident, compared with 79 per cent of cyclists.”
‘Not surprised‘: E-scooters less safe than bikes, The Canberra Times, 19 February 2021
Nocturnal riders
“E-scooter riders were more likely to have an accident between 5pm and 8am, while bike riders were more at risk during the day between 8am and 5pm.”
‘Not surprised‘: E-scooters less safe than bikes, The Canberra Times, 19 February 2021
Casual or profi riders
There are arguably big differences between the riders that hire e-scooters and those riders who have purchased their own e-scooter.
“There’s definitely a big difference between owner-riders and ride-share users,” Mr Hine said. “A lot of owner-riders already wear protective gear like helmets, and I think owner-riders are a lot more responsible.”
“Helmets should be mandatory and there should be zero tolerance for alcohol while riding an e-scooter and there should be restricted times for e-scooter use.””
‘Not surprised‘: E-scooters less safe than bikes, The Canberra Times, 19 February 2021
These problems are not new, but rather, they are new to Canberra. How will we respond to these challenges?
