How safe are electric scooters on college campuses?

On average, 12 injuries occur every 100,000 rides on an e-scooter. A team of researchers at the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI) launched a study in 2019 to learn more about how accidents could be avoided.

“Being careful around pedestrians and other moving traffic, and just making smart choices with riding,” said Elizabeth White, Programs and Business Manager at VTTI.

She and her team analyzed 9000 miles of e-scooter riding on Virginia Tech’s campus, beginning in 2019. They partnered with an e-scooter company, which programed the scooters to slow down in crowded areas of campus, and limit where riders could go. They couldn’t ride in downtown Blacksburg, for example.

“We didn’t deploy on football game days when we knew there would be a lot more traffic on campus,” White said. “And we didn’t deploy at nighttime, because we had a feeling that riding at dark would be unsafe as well.”

They found the majority of crashes could be avoided if riders slow down when maneuvering from a sidewalk to a grassy area, or vice versa.

White said it’s generally safer if riders can share sidewalks with pedestrians and bicyclists, rather than attempt to ride on the grass. White said riders who wear helmets can also avoid the worst injuries.

This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.