While electric scooter safety perspectives may differ for local governments, municipalities, riders, schools and campuses alike, the answer remains the same: Electric scooters are safe. But the importance of validating and understanding the value of key electric scooter safety features remains a vital part of engaging and growing awareness and embracing of the micromobility movement.
Electric scooter innovation has come a long way in even just a few years since many metropolitan areas and campuses kicked off pilot programs. Read on to learn more about the most vital safety features of electric scooters.
What electric scooter safety factors should operators address?
For electric scooter operators, there are a few main safety factors that need to be addressed to create a sense of comfort, familiarity and engagement with the key groups who share an interest in electric scooter and micromobility programs.
Among the chief concerns for these populations, particularly in younger groups like those found on university campuses, is a lack of rider education. In the first seven trips, riders experience a higher probability of injury – often attributable not to carelessness, but just not quite yet knowing what they’re doing. Like with a new car, it pays for a rider to take time to become acquainted with the scooter’s unique features and safety equipment.
Other factors that operators should address through safety features include speeding, not wearing helmets, and the additionally dangerous drinking and scooting. While operators can only do so much to encourage and enable safety, measures to clearly communicate electric scooter safety features and extol the virtues of proper use of those features will go a long way in ensuring overall rider safety.
6 Innovative Electric Scooter Safety Features
1. Among the key electric scooter safety features out there are – you guessed it – the brakes. But this means going beyond the “basics” to more intuitive, responsive systems. With excessive speed correlating to increased risk of accident and injury, operators like Raine, Lime and Helbiz (among many others) highlight the braking system of their scooter models in unique ways that are specific to their brand’s design. Providing rider populations and local leaders with transparent information and full understanding of each operator’s braking system and features is a key step to laying a foundation of confidence regarding rider safety.
2. Quality tires make a difference in electric scooter safety! Good quality tires ensure that the scooter brake system can function to the best possible degree, providing stability and stop-on-a-dime responsiveness to keep riders safe. This is especially important in well-populated areas and campus environments.
3. Traction control offers riders the benefit of improved safety through better overall control. With traction control features on leading electric scooters and ongoing innovations of these systems, riders experience minimal or no “skidding” of tires during quick acceleration.
4. Throttle mechanisms built into many leading operators’ electric scooters are important to highlight for rider populations – with intuitive controls that allow peak performance but also mitigate terrain instability during acceleration. Overall, these factors work together to provide a safe and stable ride.
5. Indicators on the electric scooter offer support for quick response situations. One example is with turn signals: While many riders know how to use hand signals, turn signals are vital for those who are less experienced or not familiar with the implicit rules of the road for micromobility. And don’t forget the horn – for warning people and other riders upon approach, or catching someone’s attention to avert a collision.
6. Lighting systems are an essential safety feature for any vehicle – including an electric scooter. Riders can feel secure and confident when navigating dim or inclement weather, and brands like Raine offer multiple points of light emanating from the electric scooter, illuminating the rider’s view, as well as others’ view of the rider.
In Conclusion
For operators looking to communicate the most important electric scooter safety features they offer, it pays to see the direct correlation to rider safety and then frame messaging around how your specific micromobility device addresses those concerns. Electric scooter innovation has moved beyond “test stage,” and these days, operators can and should “talk up” the improved safety and thoughtful design of their electric scooter safety features.
Want to learn more about Scoot Safe and how overall safety data, statistics and trends can help you maximize the value of your electric scooter offering? Hit the brakes right here and stop at our Resources page for more valuable info.
