Electric Scooter Safety Practices: Staying Safe for Daily Commuting

Riding electric scooters is becoming more popular daily, and we can already see how this could revolutionize how we travel in cities. It is not only practical, but it helps reduce traffic congestion. Riding an e-scooter isn't all rosy and colorful despite all the potential. Just in the US alone, 39.113 people were hurt while riding them in a span of four years. Making it more alarming - throughout this time, 365% more hospital admissions were connected to e-scooters (from 313 to 1374), as reported by two researchers from the University of California, San Francisco. So, in this article, we will cover the top safety tips and practices when riding an adult electric scooter.

- Why should you Adopt Safety Practices when riding an Electric Scooter

- Top Safety Practices for Daily Commuting on Electric Scooters

    1. Always wear a Helmet

    2. Do not Multitask during a Commute

    3. Decelerate when Turning

    4. Inspect the Scooter every Morning with Emphasis on the Brakes

    5. Install Lights if you Ride After Dark

- Parting Remarks

Almost 80.2% of injuries related to using e-scooters were caused by falls, according to a study from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) – one of the most revered research institutions in the US. It is reasonable to believe that the riders were at fault in most of these incidents. There will always be external factors (like cars and motorbikes) that you cannot influence, but doing your best to maximize what you can, will go a long way.

There are always factors beyond your control when riding a powerful electric scooter for adults. Human mistakes and inattentive driving are constant problems. While not all accidents can be avoided, how you position yourself in the case of one is essential. The answer is safety gadgets and, most importantly - helmets. The difference can be as stark as life and death. The most crucial safety gear is a suitable helmet, which should always be worn. According to the UCLA study, the most common injury was head trauma at 40.2% of the sampled riders who did not wear safety helmets.

When users of electric scooters become overconfident, they may believe that as long as one hand is on the throttle, they can simply use the other hand to browse their phone or perform another task. This is a severe error. Instead of slowing down, simply stop and take out your phone to text or do something else if you must. We regularly alter our balance points while riding by using both hands to make tiny modifications. We only have one hand to correct when one (or both) hands are removed from the situation, making it difficult if the lightweight electric scooter tints in the wrong direction. So always stay focused with both hands on your electric scooter.

Looking back over one's shoulder is one of the situations in which a lot of accidents occur. It is a frequent practice to check to see if any vehicles are following you before a turn. The problem is that you may quickly lose equilibrium when your body weight and focal point change. When your body is out of balance, and you're gazing behind, it's nearly impossible to make all the minor balancing adjustments you do when riding a lightweight electric scooter. Always slow down when glancing back to reduce the risk. Keeping balance on the electric scooter will be much simpler, and if you fall, the blow to the ground won't likely be as severe. We advise stopping and taking a position if you are looking back to cross the street because a speeding car close by could easily throw you off balance.

Due to wear and tear from use, electric scooters occasionally need maintenance, much like any other motorized vehicle. Although your scooter could be ready to use right out of the box, it will eventually require some tender loving care to function properly. Hence, it's crucial to regularly inspect your scooter and familiarize yourself with it before riding. The most crucial things to check for are:

Are the brakes working fine?

Are the tires properly inflated?

Is the folding function nice and tight?

Of all three, brakes save lives almost every other day in the grand scheme of things. This is not just sound advice, but the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) CPSC itself officially recommends testing your brakes before an electric scooter commutes and knowing how much length and time it takes to come to a complete stop.

One thing we want to suggest right off the bat is to try to avoid riding in the dark after sunset anyway. This is because you may have taken all precautions, but other vehicles around you can be not as responsible and cause you harm. We at SmooSat, consider safety a paramount attribute. Still, if you have to ride in the dark, we have a few recommendations and tips. For visibility in low-light conditions, external lighting is essential. In addition to being able to see the road ahead when you're out at night, you want other people to be able to see you. Most lightweight electric scooters’ front lights (if available) lack the wattage necessary to illuminate the path in front of you adequately. Thus, we strongly advise getting an external one with higher lumens and mounting it on your handlebar. As taillights indicate your position, they don't need to be as bright as headlights to illuminate the road ahead. The lights on your e-scooter are frequently bright enough, but their low position close to the ground can be an issue. You might want to consider purchasing something to fasten to your shirt or backpack.

In the hands of a careless or dangerous rider, no vehicle is secure, including a lightweight electric scooter. What makes things complicated is where and how you ride, at what speeds, as well as the lack of safety equipment. This is why we at SmooSat design our lightweight electric scooters for adults like the SA3 Prime and extremely powerful electric scooters like our SmooSat MAX with the highest priority in safety with zero compromises to brakes and other safety components. If you are interested, we welcome you to read through our entire catalog in a comprehensive guide for a broader understanding of safety measures taken from the brand’s side and what the venerable media platforms are saying about us.