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harold.morris@uky.edu

With the new academic year, the campus is busy with all kinds of excitement.  New and returning faculty, students, staff and visitors will be transcending into Lexington and surrounding areas. This means more motor vehicles, foot traffic, and scooter riders.
 
Electric scooters, or E-scooters have surged in popularity as a relatively effortless and convenient means of avoiding traffic and getting from one location to another quickly. With the increase in popularity also comes an increase in injuries. According to published accident reports nationwide:

  • 5% of E-scooter riders wear helmets.
  • 80% of E-scooter fatalities involves a car.
  • 80% of E-scooter accidents involve a fall. 
  • The most common injuries are to the upper and lower limbs, head, and neck. 

UK Transportation Services has some wonderful information on E-Scooter and related safety tips here and here.

Some of the E-scooter safety tips from Transportation Services include:

  • Obey all traffic signs/signals.
  • Go with the flow.
  • Plan your route.
  • Use front/rear lights.
  • Be predictable.
  • Always yield to pedestrians. 

Riders are encouraged to use a helmet and are not allowed to wear/use headphones/ear buds while operating an E-Scooter. When passing pedestrians, slow down and allow plenty of clearance.
E-scooters are a great resource. But riders and pedestrians need to always be aware of their surroundings to prevent unwanted crashes and/or injuries.