E-Scooter Company Working To Detect Drunk Riders
5/20/2019 Personal Injury John Whitfield
Don’t drink and …. scoot? People everywhere have noticed the increasingly ubiquitous trend of electric scooter riding. Whether you’re walking as a pedestrian, driving a passenger vehicle, or even riding the city bus, e-scooters are fast becoming a part of our everyday travel ecosystem. Scooters can be rented by the minute – and, they’re cheap. Most rides cost just a few dollars and help users travel longer distances without using a car or riding the bus.
Due to scooter-related accidents and injuries, scooter companies are trying to find new ways to keep riders safe, some of which are inexperienced with this form of transportation. In fact, one of the most popular e-scooter companies, Lime, provided details on its own research into riders, noting its fleet of shared bikes and scooters attracts a new audience of people who ride a bicycle infrequently, or not at all.
Beyond inexperienced riders, e-scooters are also causing an increase in electric scooter injuries. Since electric scooters began rolling out in American cities last year, there has been a surge in emergency room visits for fractures, dislocations and head trauma, according to the CDC. And, since scooter companies are reporting tens of millions of rides, correspondingly hundreds of falls are occurring.
Head injuries top the list of accident-related incidents involving e-scooters, at 45%. In fact, about a person a day goes to the emergency department at Vanderbilt Medical Center for scooter injuries. The Nashville hospital says it’s admitted one to two people to the trauma center each month for major head injuries.
Alcohol and Electric Scooter Injuries
Alcohol may be a significant contributing factor to the rise in scooter accidents and injuries. Since at least one study found almost half of patients injured on electric scooters in the last year were drunk at the time, drunk driving has become a huge concern for everyone involved in roadway safety. In fact, Lime Scooters is working on new technology to detect whether potential riders are too drunk to scoot. The technology can detect irregular driving and then slow down the scooter. Sensors will fire if the scooter is not driving in a straight line and/or if it’s wobbling, and will then restrict the speed at which the scooter can ride.
Nashville Drunk Driving Accident Lawyers
If a drunk driver hit you, you must be able to prove facts supporting the driver’s fault for causing the drunk driving accident and your resulting injuries. It is still crucial to obtain the advice and representation of experienced and successful Nashville accident lawyers who will help you get the compensation you deserve.