Electric scooter companies like Lime are showing up in Washington Cities, specifically in Everett and Spokane. The companies make the ludicrous claim the e-scooters are no more dangerous than riding a bicycle. In truth, they are far more dangerous and have different restrictions.
The design of e-scooters makes them more dangerous than bicycles. E-scooters have low clearance, making it difficult to handle changes in terrain, even slight changes in roadway pavement. E-scooters have solid wheels and handlebars that are on the same axis of rotation. This means the e-scooter is more prone to tipping over, and losing traction on small geo changes and debris on the roadway. Even a small rock can have a big impact on one’s ability to safely drive e-scooters as opposed to bicycles.
People are not aware of the law. While many people know you cannot ride bicycles on sidewalks, most people do not know e-scooters are not allowed on sidewalks by law, in addition to other restrictions. E-scooters are being ridden on Everett city sidewalks, without helmets, on restricted roadways and by underage drivers.
In Everett WA, the law is clear that e-scooters cannot be ridden on the sidewalks. Yet every day you see e-scooters zooming along the sidewalks. The e-scooters themselves are directed by the company to be left on the sidewalk, which means you would have to ride the e-scooters to a point of egress to the road in order to gain access. So it is inevitable they are being ridden on sidewalks, making many to believe the e-scooters are allowed on sidewalks. Even if people know they were not allowed on sidewalks and the riders had to gain access to the street, if the riders did not ride the sidewalk to a corner, they would just ride off the sidewalk. This means they would be entering the streets at any point, in between parked cars, directly into traffic without warning, causing increased danger.
In addition to not being able to ride on sidewalks, E-scooters in the City of Everett must have a helmet, can only be ridden from ½ hour before sunrise to ½ hour after sunrise, cannot exceed 15 miles per hour, cannot be ridden on any city street that has a posted speed of over 25 mph, and all riders must be age 16 or older.
E-scooters present significant dangers to e-scooter drivers and pedestrians. At Russell & Hill – Injury & Accident Attorneys, we are committed to helping those persons injured in e-scooter accidents and collisions. If you have been injured in an electric scooter accident, please call personal injury attorney in Everett and get a free consultation to discuss all your options. We can get you maximum compensation for your injuries.
