Electric Scooters: Do We Hate or Love Them?
I love you, I don’t…love you… Wait, what do you really feel about — e-scooters?
These four important facts about e-scooters render riders, pedestrians more aware of and about the impact of electric scooters in their lives.
In the final analysis, the realization will be much clearer: we can’t and will never outgrow them.
Fact 1. You don’t need a driver’s license to ride an e-scooter
Woo-hoo! You loved this idea. And for as long as you, (rider) did not violate any laws, keep to your path or lane where you should be, wear a helmet and ride at an allowable speed. There is no ‘problem-o’.
Fact 2. E-Scooters are NOT dangerous. Period.
Oh yes! The fact of the matter is that electric scooters do not pose any danger at all to anyone. How can they? Unless they are possessed by an poltergeist or an unseen entity, out to wreck havoc and destruction on anyone, indiscriminately, they will move helter-skelter. You see, electric scooters are inanimate things. In other words, they are lifeless.
Finding clarity in all of these, recklessness, total disregard for pedestrians, traffic rules, not exercising caution towards incoming vehicles, are the causes why electric scooters become the brunt of many sanctions, grievances and complaints. Guess who is to be fully accountable? It’s the e-scooter rider or riders who continue to be irresponsible, rash, negligent, careless, and stubbornly refuse to comply with the law. They are to held liable.
According to data collected from the Monash University’s Victorian Injury Surveillance Unit which included Victorian public hospitals with 24-hour emergency departments, it showed a significant rise in hospitalisations due to injuries among e-scooter riders –jumping from 28 in 2019-20 to 128 in 2020-21, and 427 in 2022. Causes revealed riding without a helmet, ignorance or total disregard for road rules, riding with a passenger, riding beyond the speed limit, and/or riding under the influence of drugs or liquor. The data was .
Due to the spate of accidents and injuries, the city government are cracking down on out of control e-scooter riders, after it’s proven that road rules and regulations weren’t really being followed or complied with.
Fact 3. Be safe when charging your electric scooter. Here’s how to be safe and avoid the battery from getting damaged:
• Buy an e-scooter from a reputable store – avoid buying from the black market where clones, fakes, unbranded, defective electric scooters are sold, as they sell parts that don’t fit, and they don’t have warranties, in case of problems. For sure, there will be problems, along with headaches – yours.
• Don’t overcharge it
• Make sure you use a legitimate charger, and get the same brand as that of your electric scooter (Mearth’s powerful, high performing el-scooters have hot swappable batteries for your convenience)
• Don’t charge your e-scooter near flammable objects
• Always inspect your batteries for leakage, bad smell, puffiness, bloating or bulges
• Allow your e-scooter rest for a while after riding before you charge it
These commonsense do’s and don’ts are intended for the owner to appreciate and take good care of his prized possession, not to be neglectful or abuse it. For more tips on how to care for one’s electric scooter, as well as how to properly charge your e-scooter battery, visit www.mearth.com.au
Fact 4. Ongoing electric scooter trials in different states in Australia in NSW
The drama further heightens the conflict that seems unending, as frustration among e-scooter riders and owners of private electric scooters mount due to the exclusion of private electric scooters and focused mainly on the merits and demerits of shared electric scooters.
Why are electric scooters banned in public roads, thoroughfares in Australia?
Despite the devices being considered motor vehicles, it appears they do not satisfy the Australian Design Rules and therefore can’t be registered or insured. Rules around the popular devices vary state to state in Australia, with some banning the scooters while others enforcing a list of strict requirements on riders.
At present, the only place e-scooter riders can take their personal mobility device for a spin is on private property. Shared roads, pavements and cycleways are strictly off limits. E-scooters less than 200-watts are permitted to be ridden, and at a maximum speed of 10km/h in various public places in Victoria, Australian Capital Territory, Northern Territory and Tasmania.
Under the current laws, e-scooters are considered mechanically propelled vehicles and their use is therefore subject to the user having a license to use them. For some time now, the government has been planning on regulating their use.
Protests clamoring for privately-owned e-scooters are mounting, not ceasing. What does this mean? Electric scooters will not fade away like some crazy fad.
Amid the hardline issues hurled to discourage, put a stop and/or temper down the fondness of teens, adults, students, housewives, professionals, and yes, even seniors for electric scooters, the sentiment has grown even stronger.
Hate? Yes. The red tape that surrounds the legalization, partiality, limitations and delays concerning privately owned e-scooters all over Australia are becoming a topic of ‘hate’ and aggravation for those lobbying for its legalization.
Love. Isn’t it obvious? The more the Establishment clamps down on people’s freedom of choice, the more private e-scooter supporters will become assertive in showing their hands of support and devotion, in favor of an underdog, an unwitting target to the long-drawn out debacle.
