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They are also dangerous. I witness an accident a week and I do not spend much time around areas where there are scooters. People don't obey the laws, too many

They are also dangerous. I witness an accident a week and I do not spend much time around areas where there are scooters. People don't obey the laws, too many ride doubled up and many ride on the sidewalk. They ones affected most are blind and disabled people who get hit on the side walk.

AJ007 7y ago
I’ve seen a few people go flying off of their scooter and I know one person who broke their wrist. I don’t know what the miles to death rate is. If you excluded the drunk people who’ve been killed in crashes they probably aren’t too dangerous. I’ve been concerned by the number of children on them, and a huge number of adults with children who appear to be between 4 and 7 years old. Also I’ve seen a number of people riding on streets at night, sometimes against traffic. In regards to specific dangers. You have small hard wheels and if the scooter hits a pothole at speed there just isn’t many ways out of a negative outcome on that.
loteck 7y ago
If you're worried about dangerous transportation, you must be positively outraged by the millions killed every year by cars, right?
- marcinzm 7y ago
  So, based on your statement, you're saying that if you don't like cars that means you must love all alternatives and never ever point out any issues with them even if they are utterly legitimate?
- kumoflow 7y ago
  That isn't really fair. You are comparing something that has laws and rules, a dedicated place to 'drive' and have billions of miles driven. Right now in most places these scooters follow whatever laws they want (if faster in middle of street, it is there, if faster on sidewalk, it is there). People aren't accountable (no driver license, hard to track) and idiots.
  - dijit 7y ago
    Actually, in California at least you -do- need a drivers license to operate the scooters. (Which was annoying for me as I don’t have one because I always lived in cyclable cities in Europe)
  - loteck 7y ago
    I just wish people who are anti-scooter would interrogate their own opposition and understand its true genesis. It's not road safety. Road injuries are almost exclusively due, in various ways, to cars. So what is it, really, that's bothering them?
yholio 7y ago
So you are proposing dedicated lanes for scooters, and less lanes for much more dangerous vehicles? Why, that's an excellent idea.
woah 7y ago
I bike to work in downtown SF in one of the areas with the most scooters. Often there are more scooters in bike lanes than bicycles. I have never seen an accident, so your anecdote is not my experience. I do often see people scooting without a helmet on streets with no protected bike lane which makes me cringe, knowing how reckless with other’s lives many car drivers are. In these situations, I think it’s better for people to ride on the sidewalk. Nobody should have to sacrifice their lives for poor urban planning, and the bruises from a pedestrian/scooter collision are much less serious than the death or brain injury from a car/scooter collision.
- tempsy 7y ago
  You having never seen a scooter accident is also an anecdote... I was in San Diego last month, which has many times more scooters than San Francisco, and I saw several people fall (though not hurt) off scooters.
  - bsagdiyev 7y ago
    The riders aren't exactly being safe either, in San Diego's case. I was at Seaport Village last weekend and a girl on an electric scooter almost knocked over my newborn's stroller since she was ripping and tearing around with no care to pedestrians. I've used the scooters so I think they're not a terrible idea but there needs to be some education and common sense around them I think.
  - woah 7y ago
    Edited to make it more obvious that my anecdote is also an anecdote
- beefalo 7y ago
  A lot of cities have tons of these scooters but no bike lanes. I saw lots of really dangerous behavior on them in St Louis and there were a lot of collisions.

AJ007 7y ago

I’ve seen a few people go flying off of their scooter and I know one person who broke their wrist. I don’t know what the miles to death rate is. If you excluded the drunk people who’ve been killed in crashes they probably aren’t too dangerous. I’ve been concerned by the number of children on them, and a huge number of adults with children who appear to be between 4 and 7 years old. Also I’ve seen a number of people riding on streets at night, sometimes against traffic. In regards to specific dangers. You have small hard wheels and if the scooter hits a pothole at speed there just isn’t many ways out of a negative outcome on that.

loteck 7y ago

If you're worried about dangerous transportation, you must be positively outraged by the millions killed every year by cars, right?

marcinzm 7y ago
So, based on your statement, you're saying that if you don't like cars that means you must love all alternatives and never ever point out any issues with them even if they are utterly legitimate?
kumoflow 7y ago
That isn't really fair. You are comparing something that has laws and rules, a dedicated place to 'drive' and have billions of miles driven. Right now in most places these scooters follow whatever laws they want (if faster in middle of street, it is there, if faster on sidewalk, it is there). People aren't accountable (no driver license, hard to track) and idiots.
- dijit 7y ago
  Actually, in California at least you -do- need a drivers license to operate the scooters. (Which was annoying for me as I don’t have one because I always lived in cyclable cities in Europe)
- loteck 7y ago
  I just wish people who are anti-scooter would interrogate their own opposition and understand its true genesis. It's not road safety. Road injuries are almost exclusively due, in various ways, to cars. So what is it, really, that's bothering them?

yholio 7y ago

So you are proposing dedicated lanes for scooters, and less lanes for much more dangerous vehicles? Why, that's an excellent idea.

woah 7y ago

I bike to work in downtown SF in one of the areas with the most scooters. Often there are more scooters in bike lanes than bicycles. I have never seen an accident, so your anecdote is not my experience. I do often see people scooting without a helmet on streets with no protected bike lane which makes me cringe, knowing how reckless with other’s lives many car drivers are. In these situations, I think it’s better for people to ride on the sidewalk. Nobody should have to sacrifice their lives for poor urban planning, and the bruises from a pedestrian/scooter collision are much less serious than the death or brain injury from a car/scooter collision.

tempsy 7y ago
You having never seen a scooter accident is also an anecdote... I was in San Diego last month, which has many times more scooters than San Francisco, and I saw several people fall (though not hurt) off scooters.
- bsagdiyev 7y ago
  The riders aren't exactly being safe either, in San Diego's case. I was at Seaport Village last weekend and a girl on an electric scooter almost knocked over my newborn's stroller since she was ripping and tearing around with no care to pedestrians. I've used the scooters so I think they're not a terrible idea but there needs to be some education and common sense around them I think.
- woah 7y ago
  Edited to make it more obvious that my anecdote is also an anecdote
beefalo 7y ago
A lot of cities have tons of these scooters but no bike lanes. I saw lots of really dangerous behavior on them in St Louis and there were a lot of collisions.