It’s impossible to drive around Atlanta, Georgia, these days without encountering an electric scooter. Slower than a car and faster than a pedestrian, this new-aged means of freelance transportation poses a unique threat to safety on the roads. Before you scan your next QR code to skirt across town, learn how to ride your electric scooter safely from the accident experts at Pope & Howard, P.C.
According to reports from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 45% of injuries sustained on electric scooters are head trauma. This troubling statistic can easily be remedied by a helmet. While the get-up-and-go scooters that litter the sidewalks of Atlanta, GA don’t come ready-made with a helmet, you can bring one with you for your ride.
If you’re out and about without immediate plans for scooting, you can always carry a helmet in your backpack. This way if you have a sudden urge to hop on an electric scooter, you can strap your helmet on and be safely on your way in no time.
While electric scooters offer a fun alternative to ride services like Uber and Lyft, scooting safely does require a little bit of skill. If it’s been a few years since your last Razor scooter ride, you may want to get acclimated by taking your electric scooter for a test ride around a vacant parking lot or quiet residential street.
Pay attention to the responsiveness of your electric scooter’s brakes and acceleration. You may find that your scooter goes uncomfortably fast down hills and can barely make it up steep inclines. Be sure to manage your speed to maintain control of your electric scooter at all times.
The same people who once hailed Ubers after having a few drinks are now hopping on electric scooters to get home from their favorite bar in Atlanta, GA. While this may seem like a benign decision, you’re putting yourself and surrounding drivers at risk when you ride an electric scooter under the influence. You can get a DUI for riding an electric scooter, in addition to endangering yourself and others.
Electric scooters bring about that child-like sense of joy when zipping around Atlanta, GA. However, these scooters are not toys — they are vehicles – and you must treat them as such by obeying all traffic laws and using common sense when navigating crowded streets. This is not the time to relive your childhood by doing wheelies and burnouts on the beltline.
There is a safe way to ride a scooter through the city streets of Atlanta, but if you’ve been injured in an electric scooter accident that wasn’t your fault, you may be entitled to compensation. Contact Pope & Howard, leading personal injury lawyers in Atlanta, to learn more. Schedule a free consultation today.