A new University of Washington report shows e-scooter and e-bike ridership is skyrocketing in Seattle — and so are crashes with injuries.
Lime tells us they’re working with Seattle officials to make riding safer.
KIRO 7’s Brooke Griffin spoke to doctors who are begging people to put on a helmet before they go and say people get hurt on e-scooters almost every day.
Officials say more than one million people took a Lime bike, scooter, or glide through Seattle in June.
A University of Washington report shows there were at least 273 e-scooter-related incidents between 2021 and 2023, up from nine in prior years.
“Unfortunately, we’ve seen a real increase in these injuries,” said UW Pediatric Trauma Surgeon Beth Ebel. “As scooter use increases… we are going to see more problems.”
Dr. Ebel confirmed that head injuries are the most common.
“At the trauma center, we fix your broken arm, we fix your broken leg, but when you have a brain injury, we don’t fix it, we suck stuff out and see it out,” she added.
Riders say they also want to see the scooters and bikes used safely.
When asked what he thinks could increase safety, Seattle resident Ezra Paul said, “Maybe bring the speed limit down, or maybe not allowing them to be on sidewalks, and so forth. Maybe have a sensor that puts them strictly in the bike lane.”
Lime officials say, “We’re proud that 99.99% of rides globally end without a reported incident.”
To decrease injuries, Lime is piloting a new program in Seattle through the end of September, asking riders to take a “helmet selfie” to get $1 off a ride. You can check it out on the Lime app.
In October, Lime will be giving away free helmets in partnership with Seattle Neighborhood Greenways as part of their Community Crossroads event to promote street safety.