Electric Scooter Accidents Are Increasing in Texas

Rentable dockless electric scooters, or e-scooters, now have a presence around the world. Over the last few years, e-scooter rideshare companies have released tens of thousands of rentable electric scooters into major metropolises around the U.S. Unfortunately, safety does not appear to be a top priority for many of these companies. They allow inexperienced riders to try e-scooters for the first time in busy cities – scooters that can reach 15 miles per hour or more. As more riders try out electric scooters in Texas, the state’s related crash rate continues to climb.

E-Scooter Accident Statistics

Rentable e-scooters are still relatively new to the transportation sector, with Scoot Networks rolling out the first models in 2012. Dockless electric scooters gained popularity after 2017 when they entered the European market. Statistics regarding e-scooter accidents are difficult to find, but Consumer Reports conducted a survey to shed light on e-scooter safety. The survey attributed 8 deaths to rentable e-scooters since fall 2017, as well as at least 1,500 rider injuries.

The very first death connected to a rentable electric scooter occurred in Texas. The tragedy involved Jacoby Stoneking, a 24-year-old man who may have been in a hit-and-run. He passed away from severe head trauma after an apparent e-scooter accident. Investigators found Stoneking’s body about 500 feet from an electric scooter he had rented, snapped in two. While investigators concluded Jacoby fell from the scooter, his family believes his injuries were too severe and more likely pointed to a vehicle collision.

Another study based out of California found that over one year, e-scooters sent 249 people to emergency rooms throughout the U.S. Only 4.4% of these riders were wearing helmets. The most common injuries that sent riders to hospitals were bone fractures, head injuries and soft-tissue injuries. Other frequent injuries were lacerations, contusions and sprains. Although most e-scooter companies set the minimum age to ride at 18, the study showed 10.8% of victims in hospitals for e-scooter accidents were underage.

E-Scooter Safety Concerns

E-scooter accident research points to a few common problems contributing to related incidents. The first is rider age. Too many riders under the age of 18 unlawfully use electric scooters due to a lack of supervision by the companies. E-scooter companies have no way of restricting who can ride the e-scooters, other than requesting a driver’s license – which riders can have at age 16. Young and inexperienced riders can contribute to e-scooter accidents. Young riders are more likely to speed, ride on sidewalks, run red lights and engage in other reckless behaviors.

Another common safety problem is the lack of helmet use. E-scooter companies tell users to wear helmets, but many users ignore this recommendation. The California e-scooter accident study found that only 10 out of the 249 riders in the hospital had been wearing helmets at the time of their accidents. Wearing a helmet could dramatically decrease a rider’s risk of suffering a serious or fatal head injury in an e-scooter accident.

Texas E-Scooter Laws

Texas has been at the forefront of creating new laws to combat e-scooter safety concerns. In April 2018, LimeBike and Bird pulled their e-scooters from Austin after a City Council vote created stricter rules for e-scooter companies within city limits. The Council passed new rules that forced dockless e-scooter companies to obtain licenses to operate their services in Austin, or else face misdemeanor charges.

Austin now permits each company to release 500 e-scooters and electric bicycles in the city, with the city collecting $30 per vehicle. Operating licenses last six months. Texas lawmakers are further combatting e-scooter risks with proposed bills such as State Bill 549, which would enact rules such as only one rider per scooter, rider age of at least 16 and no e-scooters on roads with speed limits over 30 miles per hour. Legislators hope the new bill could halt the increasing number of e-scooter accidents in Texas.