A new report by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety blames a combination of lack of infrastructure and inexperience for a large number of e-scooter injuries.
Micro-mobility, or the use of e-scooters and bicycles for work as well as recreational travel, is a massive trend in Georgia and across the United States. The number of people who choose to use e- scooters and bicycles has increased exponentially, and this number is only likely to increase further as the pandemic continues. More numbers of people are likely to avoid mass transit to avoid coming into close contact with large numbers of people, and choose modes of transportation like e-scooters and bicycles that prevent them from the risk of infection.
However, just like bicyclists, e-scooter riders also face the risks of injuries, as they travel. According to the report released by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, many scooter riders may remain safe as long as they use bicycle lanes. However, the report states that many scooter riders choose to ride their vehicles on sidewalks. This practice is especially common in those areas where bike lanes are not available.
This option, however, is not as safe, and may result in scooter riders colliding into pedestrians, or even falling off their vehicles. Riders may also avoid bike lanes when they believe that the bike lane is not safe and poses a danger of colliding with motor vehicles. On the other hand, riding a scooter on the sidewalk increases the risk of crashing into a pedestrian.
Overall, the report found that on an average, e-scooter riders suffer injuries at a rate greater than the injury rate for bicyclists. However, bicyclists are much more likely to be involved in accidents involving motor vehicles, while e-scooter riders are much more likely to be injured in accidents on the sidewalk, especially collisions with pedestrians, or with poles and signposts. E-scooter riders also run the risk of falling off the vehicle when the e-scooter rider hits a bump or crack in the pavement. Overall, e-scooter-related injuries are much more serious, when the vehicles are involved in accidents with motor vehicles.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety report notes that expanding the availability of bike lanes in more American cities will significantly help reduce the risk of accidents and injuries involving e- scooter riders as well as bicyclists, leading to safer travel for all. In an environment in which greater use of these means of transportation is only to be expected, city as well as state transportation safety authorities in Georgia should be looking at how travel can be made safer for these e-scooter users.
If you or a loved one have been injured in any e-scooter or bicycle accident, you could qualify for compensation. Talk to an Atlanta bicycle accident attorney at the Katz Personal Injury Lawyers, and discuss your legal options for a claim for compensation for losses. You could be eligible for damages including lost wages, medical expenses, pain and suffering and other damages. Call an attorney at our firm and get a free evaluation of your claim.