As a person fond of the electric scooter and after owning one for a couple of years, I must say that I have received so much freedom by it. There are numerous reasons for owning an electric scooter. However, it also has some drawbacks, the one I would especially mention is the safety of the rider.
So, what can be the reasons for electric scooters being unsafe for commuters and electric bikes for adults being safer? These are the reasons I have come up with –
- It is not what people see: If we think clearly, the growing popularity of the electric scooters lies in the famous kick scooters and the nostalgic memory of our childhood with them. Kick scooters came to the market in the early 2000s. We have ridden it a lot like a toy. So, when the electric scooter came out, it was also considered as a toy for most of the people. However, it is not a toy but a dangerous vehicle. So, while riding it, people have not been serious enough and treated it as a toy which has caused more accidents and injuries. You need to wear proper safety wear and ride the scooter with care to avoid accidents.
- Lesser use of helmets: The fact that people do not take electric scooters seriously and treat them like toys lead them to ride the scooters without wearing helmets. According to the Portland Electric Scooter Pilot Study, only 10% of the total bike riders wear helmets. The safety report of Seattle shows 20% of bike riders wear helmets there. These statistics show that the number of electric scooter riders using helmets is half of the bicycle riders wearing helmets. There is nothing new to explain how helmets protect our head from getting severely damaged. So, the practice of wearing helmets make bicycles a safer option.
- Wrong position of rear lights: Looking at the statistics, we can see that, bike deaths normally happen in the dark. Bicycles and electric bikes adults have rear lights so that they are visible in the night, but the lights are at the wrong place on an electric scooter. As the light is in a lower position, it is difficult to spot the scooter in the dark, which can lead to large vehicles smashing into your scooter. Bicycles, on the contrary, have enough space for a larger light. Â They normally have the rear lights placed below the seat and it is raised to hip level. Thus, electric bikes are always a better option for adults than electric scooters, especially if you are riding at night, as it will make you more visible.
- Smaller tires: The road is filled with obstacles that every bike rider has to go over. It is easy with average electric bikes made for adults as they have tires with a diameter of 25 inches. The tires of the electric scooters, on the other hand, have 6 to 8 inches of a diameter that makes it hard for them to go over obstacles, which leads to more accidents.
- Poor braking technology: It is vital to stop a vehicle at the exact right time to prevent accidents, and for that, you need a top-notch braking technology installed in your bike. Bicycles are more reliable and can stop faster with their caliper brakes. Lower to mid-tier scooters, however, are provided with only a foot brake or an electronic brake, which are the worst of all brakes.
For all these reasons, bicycles and electric bikes made for adults are safer than electric scooters. You can ride them with much lesser risks of having accidents and injuries.
