Chubb-e scooters! Riders choose e-scooters over walking or cycling
Chubb-e scooters! Most people who use e-scooters would have otherwise walked or cycled which may have ‘led to negative health impact’, official report reveals
- 51 per cent of riders chose e-scooters over cycling or walking, a report reveals
- The study suggests that e-scooters have led to a ‘reduction in physical exercise’
- Government data published last month shows that e-scooter deaths have tripled
E-scooters could be leading to ‘negative health’ consequences, as more than half of riders chose to use an electric scooter over cycling or walking, according to a report.
As an alternative to commutes which involve physical exercise, 51 per cent of riders said that they used e-scooters for journeys that could have been made by foot or on a bicycle.
Only 21 per cent of riders would otherwise have travelled by car or taxi, while 18 per cent would have taken public transport.
The report, commissioned by the Department for Transport, states: ‘Their use may have led to a reduction in physical exercise, and a consequent negative health impact.’
E-scooters could be leading to ‘negative health’ consequences, as more than half of riders chose to use an electric scooter over cycling or walking, according to a report
The popularity of e-scooters rose following the Covid-19 pandemic and have since been at the centre of heated debate over safety concerns with e-scooters being used on pavements and roads.
Government data published last month showed that in the year ending June there were 12 deaths involving e-scooters and 1,349 crashes.
David Davies, executive director of the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety (PACTS), wrote a letter to the Department of Transport in 2020 stating: ‘There have already been fatalities among e-scooter riders and all manner of reports of dangerous use, misuse and even links with criminality.’
Government data published last month showed that in the year ending June there were 12 deaths involving e-scooters and 1,349 crashes
On this recent study, Davies said that evidence showed that the casualty rate per mile for e-scooter riders was three times higher than for cyclists.
The study was conducted by Arup and NatCen Social Research using 32 regulated rental trials in the 55 areas of England where it is legal to ride an e-scooter on a public road.
The report did not cover the more than one million private e-scooters that are used illegally.
Scooters should not be allowed to travel faster than 12.5mph and helmets should be mandatory, Davies said.
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