Motorized scooter riders see change of laws in California in 2019

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - On the heels of the banning of electric scooters in many cities, Governor Jerry Brown of California has signed a bill that mandates helmets for users only if they are under the age of 18 and if the scooter goes above 15 miles per hour.

The bill, authored by Republican Assemblyman Heath Flora of Ripon, was written to encourage scooter use to alleviate congestion on the state's roads and meet climate change goals of reducing car emissions.

The law takes effect Jan. 1, 2019.

In South Lake Tahoe, Lime brought their scooters (Lime-S) to the community this summer, with statistics showing their popularity. They have delighted both local and tourist riders, but have rankled motorists, pedestrians, law enforcement and city officials.

There have been over 100,000 scooter rides in South Lake Tahoe since Lime brought them in on June 6.

But, they haven't been without their safety problems or illegal use by those under the age of 18.

The Barton Hospital emergency room has seen an estimated 60 patients from Lime scooter accidents this summer.

"The Barton Hospital Emergency Department has treated patients with injuries from Lime scooters," said Dr. Lance Orr, Director of Emergency Services at Barton Health. "We are not keeping a formal count, but I estimate the Emergency Department has seen about 60 patients this summer who have experienced injuries while riding a Lime scooter. Common injuries include facial lacerations and broken bones. Most riders we have treated are not wearing helmets and many are intoxicated at the time of the incident. There are serious risks going 17 mph without wearing a helmet or other protection."

Lime responded to the new law and their current requirements of helmets.

"We support safe riding practices and will always encourage riders to wear helmets through messaging in our app and on our scooters, helmet giveaways, and proactive education," said Emma Green of Lime told South Tahoe Now. "All first time Lime riders are required to complete an in-app tutorial that provides guidelines on helmet safety. We will continue to implement tools like this to further promote safe riding and scooter use. We work in partnership with cities to reinforce the need for everyone, whether they are Lime riders or not, to practice safe-riding at all times."

Lime removed their scooter from Reno, Sparks and the University of Nevada after what local officials there called a "premature launch" before rules and regulations could be established under Nevada State law.

There is an understanding that the council will be looking at Lime and their South Lake Tahoe operations before the bikes and scooters are distributed in 2019.