NO RENTAL IN MANHATTAN
Manhattan will still be off-limits for e-scooter rental companies. The city will favor areas that are not well served by other transportation options. While the idea to favor areas with less transportation options might sounds like a good idea, it would be interesting to know how the city is planning to protect e-scooter users in these areas. As a reminder, Citi Bike started to implement their program in the Bronx recently while the DOT has been too slow at installing protected bike lanes in the borough. The result is an increase of 40% of bicycle accident injuries in the Bronx since the beginning of the year.
HIGH RISK OF HEAD INJURIES IN E-SCOOTER ACCIDENTS
Riding E-scooters in areas that have a limited number of protective infrastructures can have dangerous consequences. A study conducted last year and published in JAMA surgery found that the introduction of e-scooters in American cities have resulted in a significant increase in e-scooter accident injuries and hospital admissions. Between 2014 and 2018, 39,100 e-scooter injuries were recorded with 22,667 occurring during the last two years. Hospital admissions almost doubled, from 715 in 2017 to 1,374 in 2018. A few fatalities were also recorded. While a helmet is recommended while riding a e-scooter, it is usually not mandatory. According to Consumer Reports, a significant number of injuries sustained in e-scooter accidents are head injuries.
Read more in the Daily News
image: courtesy of Christian Bueltemann from Pixabay