Remember that scooter you had so much fun on as a kid? If you haven’t experienced the joy of zooming along on two wheels for yourself, maybe your own kids are inseparable from their Razors, Micros, and Mini scooters, and you’re bound to at least have seen numerous kids speeding around on theirs. Scooters can be a lot of fun but, as anyone who’s ever fallen off one will know, can also be a pretty risky hobby. If you consider how much chaos can be caused by one small child on a scooter, it’s perhaps understandable that Santa Monica’s city council is up in arms about Bird Rides, a fleet of scooters available for adults in search of a zero-carbon emission mode of transport to hire.
Fun as a scooter may sound as a method of getting around town, or maybe from your bus or train to the office, spending a short time pondering the concept makes it obvious that there are quite a few potential issues. If you’re Santa Monica city council, your concerns will focus on the licensing, or lack thereof. Just three months after Bird Rides launched, the city council filed a criminal complaint, citing failure to apply for the appropriate business licensing as one of their key complaints. The city council claim not to have been advised that Bird Rides intended to run a pilot scheme in their area, never mind granting the founders a license to do so.
Aside from the administrative side of things, Santa Monica city council are, of course, concerned about a fleet of scooters driven by riders without helmets or safety gear, and who haven’t had any kind of training before being let loose on the already congested streets. People availing of this new mode of transport haven’t been wearing the helmets required by California law, and have been creating hazards by discarding the scooters in driveways, pedestrian crossings, and wheelchair ramps once they’re done. While the case has been in court already, the judge postponed by fourteen days to allow discussions to continue between the Santa Monica city council and the founders of Bird Rides.
If you decide to try out a Bird Ride as a novel way of exploring Los Angeles or Santa Monica, remember you must wear a suitable helmet at all times while riding the scooter. You must also give right of way to pedestrians. The maximum speed at which you can legally travel is 12.5 mph.
While a Bird Ride might be a lot of fun, there’s no denying the potential risks involved in every ride. If you’re injured when using a Bird Ride or involved in an accident due to a Bird Ride user, a Los Angeles motor vehicle accident attorney should be amongst the first calls you make.
A motor vehicle accident lawyer from the Law Offices of Howard Craig Kornberg will use their extensive experience and skills to provide a tough and dedicated legal representation, ensuring you receive the compensation you deserve.
To schedule a free initial consultation and discuss your case, contact us today at 310-997-0904.