Blog post

Scooter Media Brief: Then the CDC Rode In

There's still plenty of electric scooter news in the world.

James Brasuell | @CasualBrasuell | December 14, 2018, 5am PST

Stav krikst

Planetizen has been gathering electric scooter news for months now, and for a while the narratives were holding steady—cities were banning electric scooter share, people were embracing them, riders were ending up in the hospital, and scooter companies were launching operations without permits.

But then, this month, the Centers for Disease Control changed the arc of history by launching its first study of the public health impacts of electric scooters. According to an article by Dan Solomon, the study will take place in Austin, and seek to find hard data on the health risks of electric scooters. "It will be the first study of its kind, focusing 'on 37 EMS calls and 68 scooter injuries reported through syndromic surveillance conducted at area hospitals.'"

The study could provide an important step toward a more complete understanding of the consequences of the sudden popularity of electric scooters, and one that could also answer to at least one of the modes more measured and thoughtful, skeptics. Angie Schmitt's take on the electric scooter craze, blasted semi-frequently to Twitter, is more than worthy of amplification:

Here's the safety standard I think we should have for e-scooters:
-Do they make us safer overall than a situation with no e-scooters at minimum?
-And people using them well informed about the risks?
-Is the equipment as safe as possible?

— Angie Schmitt (@schmangee) December 5, 2018

People are really lecturing me about how cars are dangerous. HEY GUYS I KNOW THAT.

I want to have a discussion about e-scooters that is a little more nuanced than cars are bad so it's okay if tech companies introduce a new tech in a way that ends up hurting a lot of people.

— Angie Schmitt (@schmangee) December 5, 2018

How do 15-mph Lime e-scooters perform on potholes? I don't think we actually know.

It is objectively crazy that they have done millions of trips all over the nation without the public having a good answer to that question.

— Angie Schmitt (@schmangee) December 7, 2018

People keep saying why focus on scooter safety when cars are dangerous.

Ignoring them would be defensible I guess. But urbanists are LOUDLY defending e-scooters from some serious safety concerns raised by third parties, doctors, based pretty much on blind faith.

— Angie Schmitt (@schmangee) December 7, 2018

There is still a lot of work left to do to figure out how electric scooters to fit into the mix of travel modes. Here's the latest news and commentary on that societal project.

James Brasuell

James Brasuell is a writer and editor, producing web, print, and video content on the subjects of planning, urbanism, and mobility. James has managed all editorial content and direction for Planetizen since 2014.