The Germanyexplosive expansion of dockless e-scooters from startups like Lime and Bird in cities all around the world has made it super easy to get around. But you know what's not so great about the two-wheelers? When you inevitably face plant into the ground.
E-scooter injuries are on the rise and now the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) wants to better understand how riders are hurting themselves as well as the severity of their injuries while scooting around town. And surprise: the reasons are super obvious.
SEE ALSO: Shared scooters barely last a month, report says. But that could change.Contrary to popular belief, most e-scooter-related injuries don't happen at night and don't involve collision with a car, according to Jeff Taylor, manager of the Epidemiology and Disease Surveillance Unit with Austin Public Health.
"Our study will show they occur during all times of the day," Taylor said. "People may also perceive there’s typically a car involved. But our study finds most of the time the rider may hit a bump in the road or they simply lose their balance."
The CDC's study, which will be released in the spring, showed fewer than 1 percent of e-scooter riders wore helmets.
Similarly, the University of San Diego Medical Center's tracking of e-scooter-related injuries showed 98 percent of patients who got into accidents didn't wear a helmet, 48 percent of them were drunk, and 52 percent tested for substance abuse.
UCLA researchers who looked at data for patients admitted to its medical centers between Sept. 2017 and Aug. 2018 also found most e-scooter injuries were from falls.
One person profiled by CNBC said she landed in the emergency room with a busted lip when she hit a pothole.
So who's to blame for the increase in e-scooters? The e-scooter startups that are taking over cities? Irresponsible riders? The cities for not creating proper pathways (like bike lanes) to accommodate e-scooters?
That's what the CDC's hoping to figure out. But from what little data that already exists, it's clear everyone shares a little bit of the blame. Riders for not wearing helmets and riding on scooters when they're under the influence. Scooter companies for not creating protections that check for things like intoxication and helmets (a difficult undertaking, but with great power comes great responsibility). And of course, cities also share the blame for not adapting quickly enough to changing transportation trends.
"We’re taking this issue seriously. We’re doing all that we can to work with cities, education and technology to address these accidents and it’s encouraging the medical community is as well," a Lime spokesperson told CNBC. "We absolutely support the CDC study and would love to contribute in any way through data sharing."
E-scooter startup Bird also told CNBC it's spoken to the CDC researchers and doesn't disagree with its early assessment. "People will always make mistakes on the road, but it’s not about perfecting human behavior. It’s about designing streets so when people make mistakes those mistakes aren’t fatal," a Bird's safety policy director Paul White said.
As we said, these findings are sorta obvious. So be smart and safe and wear a helmet, and never ride a scooter if you're wasted. Just don't do it. You risk hurting yourself and others. It's no different than the rules that apply to driving a car.
The Complacent Intellectual Class
'The Underground Railroad' is a flawless adaptation of a great American novel
Ford's electric F
Hubble photo shows cosmic cloud making its very own bright light
The Lying Game
21 jokes written by kids that are so bad they're actually good
Tesla owner keeps using Autopilot from backseat—even after being arrested
21 jokes written by kids that are so bad they're actually good
Who is Michael Cohen?
Pixar chief and 'Toy Story' creator John Lasseter taking leave
Somebody Else’s Babies
Apple Music gets lossless and spatial audio in June
Tesla owner keeps using Autopilot from backseat—even after being arrested
Oculus Quest headsets can display iOS push notifications now
Momentive’s Hundred Days
Don't install Android 12 beta on your OnePlus phone just yet
Spotify menu suggests HiFi streaming might launch soon
Google is opening its first physical retail store
Uniting Against White Supremacy in Charlottesville
Shania Twain arrives to halftime show on a dogsled in a blizzard because, well, she's Shania
Scientists find spiders with tails preserved inside chunks of amberWithout climate context, Trump's rhetoric about disasters rings hollowNYT's The Mini crossword answers for March 24Talking trash with 'Problemista's Tilda Swinton and Julio TorresVets use fish skin to heal bears injured in California wildfiresThe government shutdown will keep SpaceX from testing the Falcon HeavyMarquette vs. CU basketball livestreams: How to watch liveApple to finally let you customize Home Screen icons on iPhone, report saysBest Samsung tablet deals: Shop the Big Spring Sale2024 eclipse calculators: Find out how much you'll seeTrump's climate advisor is Fox News, and that's hurting his agendaThe new Park Service director once allowed chopping of protected treesSDSU vs. Yale basketball livestreams: How to watch liveNYT's The Mini crossword answers for March 25Houston vs. TAMU basketball livestreams: How to watch livePurdue vs. USU basketball livestreams: How to watch liveSwatting at mosquitoes might not be pointless after allTalking trash with 'Problemista's Tilda Swinton and Julio TorresMangled cars show the raw destructive power of California mudslidesStarbucks is trialling a 5p charge on disposable coffee cups in London The secrets behind the Surface Studio design Hired wants finding a job to be like online dating, minus the ick Tickets to Game 3 of the World Series are really, really expensive 7 Vines that totally ripped the piss out of British politicians 'Counter Siri trolls iPhone users with terrible Halloween suggestions Scientology is a 'beautiful religion' says famous Scientologist Donald Trump speaks in Hindi in new ad campaign to win over Hindu supporters Nintendo Switch price and release date coming in January Eerily predictive review spreads online after Dreamworld accident We know about Ferguson's police brutality because of Vine Sorry, Apple, but the name 'TV' already exists This 76ers fan is a perfect ambassador for the city of brotherly love Tinder lets swipers around the world 'vote' in the US presidential election Memes are bigger than Jesus (on Google, at least) Kim Kardashian sat in the audience at Kanye West's show and I'm crying India wants regional languages added in every phone sold in the country Have we reached peak Twitter trolling? So long, Vine. Twitter is shutting down the mobile app in coming months Rape survivor creates powerful photo series to break taboos