AUSTIN, Texas — It's pretty common to see people zipping around on e-scooters in Downtown Austin. But just how dangerous are they to ride? Apparently, not as much as some might think.
According to KVUE's media partners at the Austin American-Statesman, from July through September, Austin-Travis County EMS (ATCEMS) estimates there were 48 accidents involving e-scooters, out of the 29,423 patients medics saw during that timeframe.
In that same period, Austinites and visitors took 725,700 trips on scooters, for a total of 754,658 miles with an average speed of 6 miles per hour.
The Statesman reports that for the entirety of the last fiscal year, which ended on Sept. 30, ATCEMS responded to 169 incidents involving a scooter. Most of those resulted in a trip to the hospital, but only eight involved serious injuries.
ATCEMS said that most injuries occur in the downtown area, and a majority happen between midnight and 3 a.m. on a Saturday or Sunday.
An ATCEMS division chief even said scooters can be beneficial to the agency because they keep people off the roads and can allow emergency vehicles to travel through downtown more easily.
To learn more, read the Statesman's full report.