Lawmakers to approve a bill allowing E-transportation programs in the Capital Region
Watch Out! The bike lanes and sidewalks are about to get busier than ever before. For those of you out there who have been to a big city as of late, you’ve seen them everywhere you look. For those who haven’t, they’re coming your way soon, if you live in New York State at least. Lawmakers are expected this week to approve a bill allowing for e-scooters and e-bike programs to be put into place in the Capital Region.
Benefits of this new legislation seem vast, as these new ways to move will allow for an ease in roadway congestion, increased access to local business for both city dwellers and visitors, and even more mobility for our elder generation of citizens. Yet, as with all new ways of transportation, along with them comes new ways for potential accidents to occur.
Statistics on E-transportation Accidents
Whether it’s on an e-scooter or and e-bike according to Consumer Reports, there have been at least 1,500 people injured since 2017 across the country. And that is only the injuries that were properly tracked and recorded. In reality that number could be much, much higher.
Why All the Injuries?
One of the biggest causes of injuries they found in accidents involving e-scooter and e-bikes is that riders never seem to be wearing helmets. While these methods of transportation are still too new to have readily available statistics on the impact of helmets on the safety of these E-transportation, the statistics on bikes and motorcycles speak for themselves. According to the Insurance Information Institute, helmets saved the lives of 1,872 motorcyclists in 2017. Likewise, the US. Department of Transportation reports that as of 2017 in over 777 reported Bicyclist deaths, 422 or over 54% of riders were not wearing helmets. So, maybe the answer is simple? If it has wheels, put on a helmet– save your life.
The Upside of an E-scooter and E-bike Lifestyle
There’s many potential benefits for the implementation of these new E-transportation systems. For one, they’re easy. These systems very much run off of the concept of hop on and go. It’s simple, easy and a cheaper and lower stress alternative. Secondly they’re accessible. You can find them seemingly everywhere you look in whatever major city you are and when you’re finished using them you can leave them behind almost anywhere.
LaMarche Safranko is headquartered in Albany, New York, and represents clients in bicycle and pedestrian injury cases in state and federal courts throughout New York state. Call us at (518) 982-0770 or contact us.
