Surging speeds, rising risks: Are today's e-scooters too dangerous to ride?
Consumer Reports tested e-scooter brands to find out which one was the safest. It concluded no e-scooters meet their safety standards.
More Stories
E-scooters have surged in popularity over the last few years, and according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, so have the number of serious injuries associated with them. The CPSC reports that emergency room visits cause by e-scooters increased from 25,400 in 202 to 118,485 in 2025.
In 2024, News 12 spoke to Blessing, a 17-year-old Bronx teenager, who was injured when his electric scooter was struck by a car.
“There was a lady coming off a turn,” says Blessing. “I guess she didn’t see me. Guess when I tried to swerve away, the scooter slipped and, you know, I got caught under the car.”
“As more people use them, we’re seeing more injury data,” says Paul Hope, of Consumer Reports. “And it’s really serious.”
Consumer Reports recently did a study of e-scooters, in hopes of rating brands for safety. Instead, they concluded they could not recommend any of them as safe – in part because they’re so much more powerful than they were a few years ago, typically reaching speeds approaching 30 mph.
“Then there’s the other issue of the fact that users are using them while they’re standing up,” says Hope. “So it raises the center of gravity; your head is higher. You’re also more likely to fall forward. And obviously, a head-first injury is that much more likely to result in a serious trauma.”
Kane In Your Corner reached out to Segway, one of America’s largest e-scooter companies, to see if it had any response to Consumer Reports’ findings. The company did not reply.
In the meantime, Consumer Reports says if you are going to use an e-scooter, don’t push them to their limit. Also, you should always wear a helmet and avoid rough road surfaces.
