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Are E-Scooters Safe? CDC Studying Scooter Activity in Austin.

Written by AskTheLawyers.com™

Are E-Scooters Safe? CDC Studying Scooter Activity in Austin.

Written by AskTheLawyers.com™

AskTheLawyers™

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Austin resident Joe Cardillo was riding a Lime scooter home from work when he fell off, scraping his hands and knees and rolling a good five to ten feet across the pavement. "I fell into the street on Riverside Drive at 5:30 rush hour," Cardillo told CBS Austin. "I call Lime to tell them this was a serious malfunction. It could have ended way worse than it did." It all happened at 15 miles per hour when the front wheel locked up. However, he didn’t feel the need to get to the hospital unless other vehicles were involved, which thankfully weren’t.

But What If Other Cars Were Involved in the Scooter Accident? What Then?

Cardillo thankfully wasn’t involved in a scooter accident with a vehicle, but what if he was? How often does that happen? Thankfully a recent study done by the City of Austin and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention brought to light some important facts and figures about the potential danger of scooter riding all over Austin. Hopefully this research help answer the question: are escooters safe? For starters, researchers had been reviewing as many as 160 different scooter-related accidents all occurring between September and November of 2018. We’re talking verifiable data, comprised of a variety of levels of severity and injury. The findings were remarkable. Empirical data suggested that distracted driving would be a primary cause. If you’re not paying attention to what you’re doing on the scooter, you could have a better chance of something happening that would propel you off of it. It certainly forced a refresh on what scooter companies—two in Austin, Lime and Bird being the largest—have to do to ensure riders are paying attention to what they’re doing just to avoid liability. Furthermore, the Austin City Council will be receiving those findings appropriately as they work on developing some kind of solution, potentially a proposal for a dockless mobility ordinance designed to enhance and promote safety standards. While on the scooter, you simply can’t text—or even hold onto a phone while riding. Both hands must be on the handle at all times.

Should Lime and Bird Implement Standard Literature to Promote Safety?

Riders simply need to be aware. In fact, law enforcement could make it a point to stop scooter drivers who aren’t paying much attention to the road as they are on their phones even if they’re not actually on the “road” but on a mere sidewalk. It’s a point to make: even if you’re not on any road filled with vehicles, that could change in a heartbeat. Distracted driving never turns out well in any of those cases for good reason, and simple decisions to look away can make the difference between a safe drive and death, potentially. Bikes are one thing: you simply can’t text and ride a bike without problems. Although scooters seem to be more secure, that’s no reason to neglect what matters most. As always, safety comes first. When it comes to accidents involving electric scooters, the laws are constantly in flux as we figure out how to classify these fairly new modes of transportation. If you’ve been seriously injured in a scooter accident, contact an attorney immediately to learn about your options.

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