Founding Attorney
E-scooters have been quite the craze in recent years. They have popped up in major cities across the U.S., including New York City. As long as e-scooters have handlebars and a floorboard or seat and are not operated in excess of 15 mph, they are allowed in the city. Riders can operate their e-scooters in bike lanes and on streets that have speed limits greater than 30 mph. Electric scooters can certainly be a fun and effective way to get around the city, but they are not without their dangers. E-scooter accidents have been a pervasive problem as companies like Lime and Bird have provided e-scooters for those wanting to rent them. E-scooter accidents can be particularly devastating as scooter riders lack pretty much any protection from accident impact.
Electric Scooter Accidents
There are many reasons why electric scooter accidents occur, but let’s take a look at some of the more common causes. For instance, cars making left turns into scooters or into a scooter’s path is the common scenario leading to a serious accident occurring. A vehicle making a left turn immediately in front of a scooter or directly into a scooter is usually caused by the simple fact that the driver of the vehicle did not see the scooter in time to stop or avoid hitting them.
Lack of visibility and driver oversight, in general, are big causes of electric scooter accidents. Scooter riders need to be very aware of the blind spots of vehicles around them. The small size of the scooter makes them particularly susceptible to being lost in blind spots. This is even more so true considering the size of the vehicles they may be sharing the road with. Take a semi-truck, for instance, these oversized vehicles can have blind spots ranging 20 to 30 feet long across their sides.
Lane splitting is another common cause of electric scooter accidents. This occurs when a scooter passes between traffic that has slowed or stopped by sharing the lanes of other drivers. You may have seen such behavior when traffic is particularly congested. While we can see how it would be tempting for e-scooter riders to use the easy maneuverability and small size of the scooter to escape a traffic jam, riders need to be aware of just how dangerous lane splitting can be. Electric scooter riders that lane split run the risk of being hit by car doors opening or vehicles veering into them. The resulting injuries for the scooter rider can be catastrophic.
Scooter malfunctions are another common cause of electric scooter accidents. Faulty brakes, flat tires, electric motor issues, and much more can go wrong with these scooters and end up leading to serious accidents. There is the other added issue that many electric scooter riders are not well-versed in operating them. After all, anyone can go ahead and rent a Bird or Lime scooter whenever they want and have no experience with them. There are not many explicit rules and regulations about these scooters and companies renting them often do not provide any, or little, guidance.
Personal Injury Attorney
If you have been involved in an electric scooter accident, you may be suffering from serious injuries. Let Attorney Michael LoGiudice fight for your right to be properly compensated for your injuries while you focus on your health and recovery. Contact us today.