The inherent design of electric scooters is “half the problem” when it comes to safety.
This is according to Shane O’Donoghue of completecar.ie
He was speaking as figures show two people have died and 42 others have been seriously injured in collisions involving electric scooters since the start of 2020.
shane said Pat Kenny they should not be equated with bicycles.
“The inherent design of electric scooters is half the problem here.
“People see the supposed top speed of these things, say 25 km/h… and think ‘Oh that’s not very fast’.
“But they are very different from bicycles: you stand on a very thin plate and the wheels are small.
“And also the access to the steering wheel is actually very, very short compared to a bicycle.
“Electric scooters are inherently less stable – so the problem is that people think they’re as easy to ride as a bicycle… but in reality they’re just less stable.”
“It’s a big problem”
He says the focus should be on protective gear, like helmets.
“There needs to be more messaging about this from the RSA, the Gardaí – whoever – before the new legislation comes into effect.
“It’s a big deal, really.
“People like having the freedom not to wear a helmet, certainly on bikes… but scooters are very different.
“They’re less tabletop, so you’re more likely to have an incident on them in terms of falling or tripping or whatever.”
And Shane thinks helmets alone may not be enough.
“They suggest you could do with maybe elbow pads, maybe some other protection.
“Maybe closer to what someone might wear on a skateboard.”
