I've never ridden one, but one observation I've made is that a few people I know who have decided to use them for transportation from, say, the train or bus to work have gotten hurt in some way by falling. One ended up with a broken arm. It could have been a lack of experience, but nevertheless, the first thing to think about is safety. It does not matter how fun or practical a scooter is if you end up hurt.
Edit:
To be clear, I'm taking about the unmotorized scooters.
mslate•37m ago
This is a very valid concern to raise.
I will note (as the author) that using the un-motorized kickscooter means traveling at a slower speed than virtually all e-scooters out there on the market. Slower speeds make for safer riding as it is much easier to stop--and over time you get very familiar with terrain and spotting the risks in surface imperfections.
ggm•36m ago
Emergency Room staff would probably concur, since scooters came back they have seen an uptick in presentations for injuries which come from a highly unstable platform sharing the pavement or road with other things. People, cars, Buses, potholes, unexpected SQUIRREL events, you-name-it.
Here in OZ, with mandated cycle helmets we had a drop in catastrophic head injury. Scooters have the same legal burden but it's not enforced well so alongside the arm and leg injury, is the rise/return of catastrophic head injury.
Motors only make it worse. I think there's like an inverse square law speed to survivability for bodyshock. Unpowered? you often walk away. Powered? You, or somebody else, is at serious risk of not walking away, ever.
mslate•34m ago
This blogpost is about the un-motorized kickscooter, not the motorized kind.
gnabgib•31m ago
I'm sure you've read them, and aware, but can you stop self-promoting, this site is for curiosity.
> Please don't use HN primarily for promotion. It's ok to post your own stuff part of the time, but the primary use of the site should be for curiosity.
WheelsAtLarge•42m ago
Edit:
To be clear, I'm taking about the unmotorized scooters.
mslate•37m ago
I will note (as the author) that using the un-motorized kickscooter means traveling at a slower speed than virtually all e-scooters out there on the market. Slower speeds make for safer riding as it is much easier to stop--and over time you get very familiar with terrain and spotting the risks in surface imperfections.
ggm•36m ago
Here in OZ, with mandated cycle helmets we had a drop in catastrophic head injury. Scooters have the same legal burden but it's not enforced well so alongside the arm and leg injury, is the rise/return of catastrophic head injury.
Motors only make it worse. I think there's like an inverse square law speed to survivability for bodyshock. Unpowered? you often walk away. Powered? You, or somebody else, is at serious risk of not walking away, ever.
mslate•34m ago