Because electric scooters and electric scooter rental services only began appearing in the past few years, there are very few laws and regulations surrounding how these scooter companies should operate and what road rules users must follow. With very little understanding of the rules and regulations by the users and pedestrians, cities are seeing an increase in personal injury electric scooter accident lawsuits. If you’ve been injured involving an electric scooter, contact an electric scooter accident lawyer at Shamis & Gentile, P.A.
Electric Scooter Operational Rules and Regulations
There are some operational rules that a user must agree to on the app before they are allowed to begin using the scooters. The user must scan his/her valid driver’s license and agree to the scooter guidelines, which range from rules to suggestions about how to operate the scooters. Most electric scooter apps state that a helmet should be worn by the user at all times during operation. But the scooter companies do not provide a helmet with the scooter nor do they offer any over site to enforce such rules. These apps preface riders with rules about obeying roadway laws, avoiding pedestrians, and operating in a safe manner. But, besides local law enforcement, there is no over site provided by these companies to ensure these rules are being followed either.
The scooters range in ability based on the type of scooter, but most reach a maximum speed of around 15 mph and are suited for sidewalks and roadways, although they can be driven on some off-road conditions.
Electric Scooter Rental Rules and Regulations in the Community
Some communities have taken permissive steps to regulate the scooters after scooter companies began to offer the service in the community. Others have taken preemptive measures to try and disallow the scooters all together. The scooter companies seem to be apathetic towards many of these efforts, often times dumping their scooters into cities even when that city has made it apparent that they do not want the scooter service offered. Cities are being forced to take legal action to ban these scooter services in order to legally remove the scooters out of their communities. If a city has a ban on electric scooters, it may be difficult for users to hold the city liable for any incidents involving the scooters.
For cities that do allow the scooter services to operate within their city limits, the operational rules for users vary – while there are some basic guidelines provided by the scooter companies, there are no regulatory “rules of the road” dictating how users should operate the scooters. The scooter companies do offer rules and suggestions on how to operate the scooters for users through an informational walk through when users download the app – rules about following roadway laws, avoiding pedestrians, maintaining a respectable speed, etc. – but there are no (or very few) standard laws specifically enforced on electric scooters.
Because of this, some users feel that it is okay to operate the scooters with little or no concern for safety and therefore Shamis & Gentile, P.A. is seeing an increase in personal injury electric scooter accident lawsuits. If you’ve been injured while operating an electric scooter, contact an electric scooter accident attorney at Shamis & Gentile, P.A.
Contact a Electric Scooter Accident Lawyer Today!
If you are involved in an electric scooter accident, you should contact a Bird Electric Scooter accident lawyer, Bolt Electric Scooter accident lawyer, Lime Electric Scooter accident lawyer or Electric Scooter accident lawyer right away. You may be eligible to participate in a Bird Electric Scooter accident lawsuit, Bolt Electric Scooter accident lawsuit, Lime Electric Scooter accident lawsuit, Lyft Electric Scooter accident lawsuit, and other electric scooter rental accident lawsuits.
Shamis & Gentile, P.A. offers free no-obligation case consultations for any potential Bolt Scooter accident lawsuit, Bird Scooter accident lawsuit, Lime Scooter accident lawsuit, Lyft Scooter accident lawsuit, and other rental scooter accident lawsuits.
An experienced electric scooter accident lawyer would be happy to review and discuss your case, free of charge.
If you are involved in an electric scooter accident in Miami, contact a personal injury Electric Scooter accident lawyer today!
