To the editor:

I do not condone angry ridicule in street confrontations between drivers, pedestrians, and children. However, until parents become more involved in their children’s operation of the e-scooters they provide them, the more important immediate problem will continue to be child safety on these devices.

Here are some documented e-scooter accident/safety statistics:

• Accidents linked to e-scooters climbed from roughly 10,500 in 2017 to nearly 80,000 by 2024, with an estimated 380,000+ ER visits total between 2017 and 2024 (Consumer Products Safety Commission CPSC)

• 80% to 90% of e-scooter injuries stem from single-vehicle incidents—such as loss of control, hitting potholes, or falling off—rather than collisions with motor vehicles. (Consumer Reports CR no longer recommends e-scooters based on safety issues).

• Children and adolescents account for more than 45% of all e-scooter-related injuries, frequently suffering broken bones, head trauma, and concussions. A major study published in Scientific Reports found that e-scooter riders face a significantly higher relative risk of traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) per incident—roughly 3.5 times higher than motorcyclists and 1.7 times higher than traditional cyclists. (Scientific Reports)

Most e-scooters I have seen in Barrington being ridden by school-aged children are capable of speeds up to 25 miles per hour. I have seen many kids riding faster models going at least 30+. I am a frequent non-motorized bicycle rider on the East Bay Bike Path and local streets through Barrington. Each day I cycle I witness reckless riding of e-scooters by school-aged children.  Here are examples of the most dangerous practices I’ve witnessed:

• Riding without a helmet

• Riding with a passenger who does not wear a helmet.

• Riding the wrong way (facing oncoming traffic) on the street

• Doing wheelies (riding up on the rear wheel only) at 25mph in the middle of the street and on the pedestrian crowded bike path

• Riding on the wrong side of the bike path around blind curves (I’ve almost been hit countless times).

• Parking e-scooters across sidewalks, across the bike path, and too close to the doors of businesses and wheelchair ramps.

Thinking of children’s safety first, the problem with e-scooters is they are capable of automobile speed with riders who are not trained to operate a powered vehicle at those speeds. I will point out that e-scooters are inherently less stable over rough pavement or even small debris and prone to falling especially when ridden at their maximum velocity, let alone when attempting tricks.

• I am not proposing banning e-scooters. I DO agree with the restrictions to keep off sidewalks (danger to pedestrians), and out of the Barrington Shaw’s Plaza (where weekly car crashes already occur). The bicycle path that runs through Barrington is a convenient artery with side street connections allowing the avoidance of busy traffic streets. Parents should advocate using the bike path and side streets and WALKING the scooters when in town.

• Parents should advocate for, and follow-up with, enhanced public school safety programs about bicycle and e- scooter safety but immediately speak with your child and relay concerns - and be prepared to take-away the scooter if safety becomes a known issue.

The approach to establishing safer e-scooter riding for children in Barrington will take the combined efforts of parents, our schools, and the police. We should not rely solely on Barrington police officers to address e-scooter problems when they occur but work to prevent them occurring. That will involve increased work by parents with their children when they supply them with e-scooters. 

Ken Horii

Barrington