· Electric Scooters Advisories
· Electric Scooters Helmets
· Electric Scooters Protective
Equipment
· Electric Scooters Ridding Tips
· Electric Scooters Ridding Tips II
· Electric Scooters Safety
· Helmet Replacement
· Motorized Scooter Safety
· Scooter & Bike Helmets
· Scooter Safety Guide
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As with any type of vehicle for transportation, the motor scooter has had its own
share of injuries. Many have been associated with irresponsible riding that
precaution could have helped with. In fact, since 2000, the number of injuries
associated with non-powdered scooters has dramatically increased. For
scooter-related injuries only, it was estimated that from January 2000 through the
end of that same year, more than 40,500 injuries were treated in the emergency
room. Then in November 2001, a report came out from CPSC estimating that injuries
treated in the emergency room from January 2001 through September 2001 had jumped
to 84,400. Of these numbers, 85% were children 15 years of age or younger.
Two-thirds of those injuries were for males, and the majority of the injuries
treated were broken bones.
For the motorized scooter, the CPSC reported that during the first nine months of
2001, 2,870 injuries were treated in the emergency room, which was an increase of
100 injuries over injuries reported in 2002. However, both 2001 and 2002 were
less than the 4,390 injuries reported in 2000, which was a huge jump from the
1,330 injuries reported in 1999. Of these numbers for the motorized scooter, 39%
were for children aged 15 and younger, with the most injuries being bone fractures
to arms and legs, and even some injuries to the face and head.
For non-powdered scooter deaths, the CPSC reported much lower numbers in
comparison to the motorized scooters. A few examples of the type of situations in
2001 included:
A man that became stuck on the railroad track at night who was struck and killed
A 12-year-old boy and his twin brother were hit by a car - one brother died, the other sustained serious injuries
A 10-year-old boy killed after a fall from a scooter
An 8-year-old boy killed after being struck by a car while on his scooter
A 10-year-old boy killed after losing control of his scooter and falling from a steep hill
A 9-year-old-boy struck by a truck was killed as he rode his scooter in his own driveway
A 12-year-old-boy died when his scooter collided with a garbage truck
These are just a few examples of the many people that lost their lives, simply by
riding a scooter. While a few were "freak" accidents, most were related to riders
that were not properly dressed or prepared for danger. To help bring the number
of injuries and deaths down, the CPSC has come up with a list of recommendations
that are proven to help:
Always wear a helmet and preferably wear knee and elbow pads
Motorized scooters should be restricted to riders 10 years or older and even then, with supervision
Stay off gravel or uneven pavement that can cause the scooter to tip
Unless the scooter is a model that can be registered and licensed for legal road riding, do not ride the scooter in traffic
Do not riders scooters at night. Even if they have a headlight, because of their size, other drivers have a difficult time seeing the riders
Be sure to wear sturdy shoes or riding boots
Learn your local laws for riding scooters.
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