The electric scooter craze comes with a lot of mixed reaction across the U.S. While some cities are welcoming them, other cities, like the city of Nashville, are considering banning them.
At least one person in Nashville died from a scooter accident .
Dr. Guillamondegui, a trauma doctor at Nashville’s Vanderbilt University Medical Center, says they’ve seen serious injuries.
"One to two a month that are major or intracranial hemorrhage of blood on the brain with serious enough injuries," he says of the patients taken to the hospital.
Health officials say everyone operating an electric scooter should wear a helmet.
In every state, helmets are required for riders, but you rarely see anyone wear them. To encourage riders to wear them, e-scooter companies like Bird passed helmets out in select cities.
"Fifty percent of all the injuries would be alleviated if we just wore helmets," Dr. Guillamondegui says.
Last year, the CDC began working with the city of Austin to start tracking scooter crashes. In Austin, out of nearly 1 million scooter rides, about 200 people have been injured.
It’s still a challenge for police to enforce the law with hundreds of people riding around town at a time. Law enforcement and CDC officials would like to see the companies adjust the speed of scooters below 10 mph.
Dr. Guillamondegui would like companies to make bigger wheels and prohibit drinking and riding.
“If you are going to do that, make sure you put yourself at the best possible chances of not being hurt," Dr. Guillamondegui says.
