Scooter Safety: Tips For Preventing Accidents And Injuries

Electric scooters have risen sharply in popularity in the past few years. Their affordability, ease of use, and convenience make them an attractive option for many people in major metro areas. However, scooter riding isn’t all fun and games despite all the benefits. Statistics show that e-scooter accidents have been on the rise. In fact, between 2017 and 2021, about 77,000 people were injured in scooter accidents. The number of e-scooter-related hospital admission rose from 4% in 2011 to 13% in 2022.

Scooter accident injuries include head injuries, facial trauma, fractures, shin injuries, elbow injuries, wrist injuries, and lacerations. If you’re injured in an e-scooter accident due to the negligence of another person or entity, retain a scooter accident attorney to protect your rights and ensure you receive compensation from the negligent parties.

Tips To Prevent Scooter Accidents

As with any mode of transportation, there are safety measures that you must follow to protect yourself when riding a scooter. Here are some essential electric scooter safety tips:

Avoid One-Hand Riding

When riders get overconfident on their scooters, they sometimes use their cell phone while riding as long as they have one hand on the handlebars. This is very dangerous due to the smaller contact patch with the road. Unlike a bike, electric scooters have smaller wheels, which means less ground clearance for cornering. Transmit bumps are also much more prominent to scooter riders. When riding your scooter, do yourself a favor and keep both hands on the handlebar.

Inspect Your Scooter Before Your Ride

Regular scooter inspection should be part of your riding routine, especially if you’re ridesharing. To begin with, perform a visual inspection of the scooter and ensure no signs of damage. Check the tire pressure, lights, bolts or screws, brakes, and throttles. If you detect any issues, have them fixed before heading off.

Ride Solo

Typically, electric scooters are not designed to support the weight of two riders. It might seem convenient to tag a friend along, but this compromises the scooter’s stability, braking, and overall control. Avoid riding in tandem, as it could cause you to swerve or tip dangerously.

Riding solo lets you remain in check and maintain your form. You might be able to put more attention on the road as well as your scooter’s position when you are traveling solo. 

Limit Your Speed

Speeding reduces your reaction time and affects your cornering. As such, you should always monitor your speed when riding your scooter. Rented scooters may have a pre-set maximum speed to ensure you stay within the required speed limit. If riding a personal e-scooter, don’t surpass the recommended 15 mph speed limit.

Always reduce speed when riding in pedestrian areas, during poor weather conditions, before looking back or turning, and when going downhill.

Keep Your Eyes On The Road

This may seem obvious, but we, as humans, are curious by nature. This is something other than a habit you want to incorporate into your scooter riding. With the small wheels of an e-scooter, you’ll have limited suspension. A pothole could easily wipe you out and make it difficult to recover your balance.

Keep your eyes on the road and look for crevices, potholes, bumps, pedestrians, and vehicles.

Ride Sober

Riding your electric scooter while impaired is dangerous and illegal. Both alcohol and drugs can significantly impair your reaction time if something unexpected occurs, rendering you an unsafe rider. The fact that alcohol impairs driving ability is not unknown.

Driving while intoxicated with drugs or alcohol might put your life at risk. Also, you not only put yourself in danger but also the life of others on the road. In case you attend a celebration where drinking is included, avoid driving and opt for a cab or rental car booking. 

Use Proper Lights

When riding your scooter at night, it’s imperative to let other road users know about your presence on the road. Most e-scooters have head and tail lights. Some scooters come with bottom lights. Be sure to turn on as many lights as possible.

If any lights are broken, or you’re unsure about their efficiency, have them fixed or replaced. Use a brightly-colored and reflective helmet or jacket to make yourself more visible.

Stick To The Road

E-scooters are meant to be ridden on the roads, not walkways or sidewalks. Sharing space with pedestrians can be dangerous to you and everyone else involved. Since there is a clear difference between the road and the pedestrian’s way of walking, you must always try your hands on a scooter on the road itself.

Avoid Riding In Bad Weather Conditions

Rain, snow, ice, or other wet weather may compromise traction, braking, and cornering, increasing the risk of accidents. These types of weather conditions also inhibit your ability to see clearly. Avoid riding when it’s rainy, foggy, or snowing. Slow down or get off your scooter and walk through the hazardous terrain when faced with wet or slippery surfaces.

Always Wear Protective Gear

Well, not all scooter accidents are preventable. Some things are out of your control – inattentive drivers, bad road conditions, and human error are always present. How you prepare yourself should an accident happen is critical.

Safety gear can be the difference between life and death or permanent disability. As far as scooter safety gear goes, the helmet is king. It helps protect against head and brain injuries, which are usually catastrophic. Also, ensure you have kneecaps, elbow pads, gloves, boots, and a heavy jacket when using an e-scooter.

Stay Safe On Your Scooter

Scooters are fun and practical for avoiding traffic jams and getting around the city quickly. Taking a cautious and common sense approach to owning and riding a scooter will help you avoid many dangerous situations. So ride within your ability, keep your eyes on the road, avoid impaired riding, and keep your speed under control.

Always wear a helmet and use your scooter in the right weather and road conditions. While scooter riding seems to be an easy task, a trivial mistake might cost your life. Take note of the above-mentioned points and maintain scooter safety while on the road.

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