Gas prices continue to rise. More and more people are caring about what kind of emissions they are pumping into the atmosphere. Both of these factors have contributed to the recent rise in scooter (moped) usage. Two-wheel scooters are a lot cheaper to fill up at the gas pump, have a low-emission footprint and are a very attractive alternative mode of transport to commute to school, work or errands. Especially here in California, there are thousands of scooters (mopeds) flying along, darting in and out of traffic and on congested roads, streets and even highways.
With this rise in scooter ownership, California is seeing a rise in scooter accidents.
2-WHEELERS ARE MORE PRONE TO ACCIDENTS THAN 4-WHEELERS
It’s estimated that there are more than 40,500 emergency room treated scooter injuries every year.
Not only are scooter riders more likely to get into an accident than a car or SUV, they are also more likely to get the worst of the accident. Aside from a helmet the driver wears, scooters are sometimes even more wide open, vulnerable to accidents and less protective than their bigger brother, motorcycles. With so many scooters on the road, the amount and severity of scooter related accidents is also on the rise.
SCOOTER ACCIDENTS USUALLY ALWAYS RESULT IN INJURY
Unfortunately, when scooters get into accidents, when they get hit by other moving vehicles, the outcome is usually very serious. Due to the fact that scooters themselves provide such limited protection and that many scooter accidents happen from violent angles, the likelihood of the following injuries is very high:
— broken limbs
— concussions
— brain injury
— neck/spine injury
— long term physical impairment
— wrongful death
CAUSES OF SCOOTER ACCIDENTS/INJURIES
Some scooter accidents are single-vehicle; accidents where there is only one party involved. However, most scooter accidents involve other moving vehicles and many involve negligence, carelessness and/or fault. Two of the most common causes of negligent scooter accidents are:
— Driver Error: Since scooters have such low profiles, and are so hard to see, drivers of other vehicles are not always aware that they are driving near or into a scooter.
— Driver Distraction: The alarming levels of vehicle drivers doing so while distracted (phone calls, texting, GPS, music, etc) is adding to the number and severity of negligent scooter accidents, especially here in California.
With so many of you out there riding scooters, it’s important that you know your legal rights. If you have been injured and suspect negligence, feel free to give us a call for a free, confidential consultation.
