As NYC considers legalizing electric scooters, safety remains a concern

NEW YORK (FOX 5 NY) - An electric scooter program could be coming to New York City this summer but safety will be a concern.

A UCLA doctor conducted a study of electric scooter accidents that found that one out of three people who came to an emergency department had injuries serious enough to require transport by ambulance. A third of patients had fractures and 40 percent of the patients actually had head injuries, according to Dr. Tarak Trivedi, a UCLA emergency physician. The study found 73 percent of the injuries resulted from falls.

On Wednesday, the New York City Council's Committee on Transportation proposed a package of bills that could legalize e-scooters. The legislation would require a pilot program from an e-scooter company, such as Lime.

Lime held an event on Friday demonstrating some of its dockless e-scooters. Phil Jones, a senior director at Lime, said the Lime app actually shows riders how to properly use the scooters and bikes.

The UCLA study found that only 4 percent of the people who were admitted were wearing helmets. Lime has given out 25,000 free helmets to New Yorkers in addition to taking other safety measures, such as new tires and better stability features.

If a dockless e-scooter program does come to New York City, the legislation would require riders to use the bike lane and go no faster than 15 mph.