[ad_1]
Raleigh, N.C. – As its name indicates, Bird scooters fly in the streets of downtown Raleigh.
"They're fast, they're super fast," said Jason Cooper.
Cooper confided that he was driving electric scooters to downtown Raleigh every weekend.
"I personally think it's the most practical thing we have out there," he said.
But convenience can come at a price.
"As a paramedic, when you see such speed, you know it's dangerous," said Jeff Hammerstein, deputy chief of Wake County Emergency Medical Services.
Hammerstein said people were seriously injured on the scooters.
"People do not necessarily understand that a simple fall, a low-speed incident and a fall on concrete or stones can cause very serious or even fatal injuries," he said.
Hammerstein said its EMS crews had responded to at least 22 serious accidents since scooters fell on the street in July.
This last weekend alone, there were two serious accidents. One involved a young boy.
Shyann Newsome recounted that she had a friend who had spilled and that she herself had had an accident in the rain.
"[I was] driving in the street, and it was wet and raining. The wheels slipped into a small puddle and I fell, "she said.
Runners agree to wear a helmet when they sign up to drive a scooter, but many do not. Riders are not allowed to double.
Anyone who uses scooters should be over 18, but WRAL News teams have seen children driving scooters.
Bird initially deployed about 150 dockside scooters in downtown Raleigh, in the Glenwood South area and around the Cameron Village, but now has more than 1,100 scooters throughout the city.
Raleigh city officials plan to tighten restrictions. A working group has prepared a set of regulations for licensing and scooter operations that will be presented Tuesday night at the city council meeting.
Source link
