Are E-Scooters A Smart Ride Or A Growing Safety Risk? Block Talk

A series of fatal and major electric scooter crashes across the country this year is refocusing attention on safety risks as these devices proliferate on public roads and bike lanes.

For a growing number of people, electric scooters are a quick, low-cost way to get where they’re going — work, school, the train station and some other short distance — without driving their cars.

With their growing popularity comes the growth in fatal crashes and near misses. Consumer Product Safety Commission data showed e-scooter and e-bike injuries rose an average of 23 percent annually from 2017 to 2022, with more than 360,000 emergency room visits and 233 deaths.

According to a review of publicly reported e-scooter-involved crashes this year, 19 people have died and at least seven others have been injured. The true number of injuries is likely higher because nonfatal e-scooter crashes are not consistently tracked in national crash data.

Recent incidents span fatal hit-and-runs, collisions with vehicles, a deadly crash on a New York City bridge bike path, and incidents involving children.

Together, these incidents show the broad safety questions surrounding e-scooters: where they should be ridden, how fast they should go, what rules apply to young riders, and how drivers should share the road with smaller electric vehicles.

Few recent incidents illustrate the problem better than one in Bunnell, Florida, where a 15-year-old on an e-scooter ran a stop sign and crashed into a patrol vehicle driven by a Flagler County sheriff’s deputy. The deputy, who was traveling about 19 mph, had the right of way, and the teen walked away with only minor injuries.

More serious incidents include fatal hit-and-runs, collisions with vehicles, a deadly crash on a New York City bridge bike path and incidents involving children.

What should your town do about e-scooters? Do you feel safe sharing roads, bike lanes or sidewalks with e-scooter riders? Have you or someone in your family had a close call or crash involving an e-scooter?

We’re asking for Block Talk, Patch’s exclusive neighborhood etiquette column. Just fill out the survey below. As always, we don’t collect email addresses.

About Block Talk

Block Talk is a regular Patch feature offering real-world advice from readers on how to resolve everyday neighborhood problems. If you have a neighborhood etiquette question or problem you'd like for us to consider, email beth.dalbey@patch.com with Block Talk as the subject line.

Catch Up On Block Talk

• The Simple Neighborhood Traditions That Are Quietly Disappearing
• Unruly Parents Are Ruining Youth Sports
• The Doorbell Rings; Do You Answer, Or Has Etiquette Changed?
• How Early Is Too Early To Start Mowing On The Weekends?