How safe are e-scooters? injury numbers are declining but more infrastructure work needed, expert says – Stuff.co.nz

Safety concerns over e-scooterhas been a hot topic since the first ride-share vehiclesarrived onNew Zealand's footpaths in October last year.

Almost immediately after Limelaunched their scooters, they were labelled a"menace on footpaths",and accidents and ACC injury payoutsbegan to grow rapidly - topping $4.3m by July 2019.

Now, a23-year-old man has diedafter he was critically injured in an e-scooter accidentinAuckland last week.

But are they really more problematic than other modes of transport and what can be done to make them safer?

READ MORE:*23-year-old man dies after being injured in Lime e-scooter accident*Lime e-scooter death: Auckland crash victim says 'it was only a matter of time'*Man dies after Lime e-scooter incident in Auckland*Explainer: Where can you ride e-scooters and what are the rules?*Safety concerns raised as electric scooters arrive in New Zealand*Lime confirms e-scooter fault which locks wheels caused by 'software glitch'

Micromobility expert Oliver Bruce said news of the recent death involving a Lime scooterwas regrettable but, the number of injuries wasdeclining.

"The data we've seen from ACC at the Auckland Council micromobilitysymposium last week showed that the injury rates per kilometre has declined as people learn how to use these new vehicles safely," he said.

But safety came down to two things -safe vehicles and safe spaces to operate them, Bruce said.

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ACC claims paying out for Lime Scooter injuries has been steadily on the rise since the beginning of the year.

Best practice would beto build infrastructure that gives e-scooters their own space to operate, Brucesaid.

"We should be rapidly accelerating the infrastructure build out for low speed electric vehicles (cycle lanes) so that these vehicles aren't on the road or the footpath - both spaces that are dangerous for both the scooter operator and others in the space," Bruce said.

In May, The Independentreported that France was set to ban e-scooters from footpath following a rise in accidents and a growing number of complaints.

But Bruce disagreed with any similar ban in New Zealand.

"In most places around New Zealandit's totally fine to use them on the footpath safely as the footpaths have low traffic flow and there's a low risk for all users and so I am strongly against that as a general policy.

"It's deeply frustrating that they've been speed limited to 15kph in the CBD as it forces people to use them on the footpath because they can't keep up with traffic on the road.

"The most logical thing would be to lift the e-scooter speed restrictions and to lower car speed to 30kph in the CBD, as has been floated for a long time as it's safer for pedestrians - and the risk of being hit by a car is far higher than being hit by a scooter,and then encourage their use on the road in areas of high pedestrianisation."

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Helmets were enforced following several safety reviews.

In response to calls for helmets to be made compulsory, Bruce did not think it was necessary.

He said: "The biggest argument for this [helmets]is to reduce risks of brain injury. Yet, if you look at the largest cause of brain injuries, it's car crashes.

"If we're trying to solve for reducing brain injuries overall we'd be far better to require drivers to wear helmets, yet we don't because we assess the benefits of car use over the risk of brain injuries and make that trade off.

"Overall, I think we should provide the same treatment to scooters. Yes, some people will incur injuries, but the overall benefits to mobility, congestion, productivity and other metrics, such as reducing carbon emissions, improving air quality and population health,significantly outweigh prohibitive barriers to use such as the additional safety requirement of helmets.

"If people want to voluntarily use them, let that happen, but don't require it. Of course, it needs to be paired with safe infrastructure which is, and will remain, my primary point and policy priority."

JASON DORDAY/STUFF

Rider injuries increased when the Lime's had a mechanical malfunction with the front wheel.

Riders losing their balance was the main cause ofACCclaims so far. Collisions and twisting movements followed, with knees, hands and wrists among the most injured body parts.

Incidents appeared to increasewhen a"software glitch"with the mechanics of Lime scooters sawriders reporting the front wheel locking up mid-journey, sending ridersflying over the handles.

But the popularity of e-scooters has continued to boom and, in less than a year, five e-scooters companies are now competing in Auckland -Lime,Wave,Flamingo,BeamandJump.

Council and Government officials launcheda safety review following the spate of accidentsearlier in the year.

Helmets were encouraged - although not made compulsory - and alle-scooter companies agreed to impose a15kmh speed limitin busy parts of Auckland.

In April, Lime also added a safety feature to its app for people using e-scooters at night, which requires anyone using ane-scooter after 10pmtoconfirm they arecapable of controlling it.

Lime spokeswoman LaurenMentjoxsaidLime's commitment to safety had seen a significant investment into resources in safety education, initiatives and events.

They includedsafety animation videos available on the Lime app, operations staff patrolling high-ridership areas to verify scooters were parked properly and to fix problems quickly.

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How safe are e-scooters? injury numbers are declining but more infrastructure work needed, expert says - Stuff.co.nz