In dozens of cities across the United States, there is a new form of transportation offering a new way for urban travel. The electronic scooter has become the newest item to burst on the scene as a mode of transportation. Some people view the scooter as a wonderful alternative to transportation, while others are claiming they are a problem and a nuisance to people on sidewalks and roads. A consumer reports investigation done a few months ago, is calling electronic scooters a public safety hazard. According to the report done by the organization, as of September, 1,500 e-scooter riders across the nation have been injured over the span of about 18 months, with an additional eight riders having died as a result of these injuries. Electric scooters are becoming more popular and more available in the United States, more and more eclectic scooter injuries are relevant. This is causing more personal injury attorneys and local governments to step in and take action. They want the electric scooter companies to be held liable for the injuries that are happening from their scooters and hopefully limit the amount of accidents in the future.
How do the electric scooters work? There are a few companies out there that provide the scooters such as Lime, Bird, and Spin. These companies, as of September 2019, were operating in roughly 90 cities in the United States. Some of the cities have hundreds of scooters readily available for use. If someone was interested in riding one of the electric scooters, they simply just have to download that company’s app on their phone. After putting in their credit card information, the app can be used to unlock one of the electric scooters nearby. Users are charged a fee for unlocking the scooter and then charged for the amount of time they are in possession of it, typically a small fee per minute. Each electric scooter can typically reach up to 15 miles per hour and can travel between 15-40 miles depending on the battery life. There is no drop off point for the scooters once the rider has reached their destination. Once the rider is done with the scooter, they can just drop it wherever and leave it for the next rider. This has become one of the major problems with the electric scooters. Riders are just leaving the scooters wherever and they sometimes can become a dangerous hazard to other people blocking pathways. This can cause people who are not even riding the scooters to become seriously injured as they are not expecting to run into an electric scooter laying in their pathway. They can also be dangerous on the regular roads, as they zip in and out of traffic or can even cause an accident due to the negligence of the rider on the scooter.
While the electric scooters are still a relatively new concept, many cities are starting to ban them due to the amount of accidents and injuries they have caused. It seems the costs are outweighing the benefits of fast travel.
If you or a loved one has been injured, let a scooter accident lawyer Kansas City, MO trusts, such as from Royce Injury Attorneys, represent you for your case. Contact a law firm today.