Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - Safety concerns surrounding electronic bikes and scooters continue across several communities in Western New York, especially in light of another incident involving a teen operating an e-scooter colliding with a vehicle last Friday in the City of North Tonawanda.
Shortly after school on June 12 at approximately 2:39 p.m., officers from the North Tonawanda Police Department responded to the intersection of Nash Road and Meadow Drive for the report of a serious motor vehicle collision.
Upon their arrival, it was determined that the teen operator of the e-scooter failed to yield to vehicular traffic that had a green light while crossing Nash Road. After being tended to by several civilians, as well as having two tourniquets applied by School Resource Officers responding to the scene, the teen was transported to Golisano Children's Hospital of Buffalo with serious injuries.
The driver of the motor vehicle remained at the scene of the crash and cooperated with investigators.
North Tonawanda Police Chief Keith Glass says no one will face any violations as a result of the incident. From what he's been told as well, the teen is going to be OK.
"He obviously suffered several lacerations and road rash and a broken arm, but he is going to be OK. He's very lucky, and somebody was watching over him that day," said Glass with WBEN.
Glass says it's important for kids and others operating e-bikes and e-scooters to know the rules of the road and obey them, if they want to keep safe.
"Just like a vehicle would, whether it'd be a manual bike, an electric bike or a scooter, you need to obey the rules of the road," he said.
Erie County Sheriff's Lt. Jeremy Lehning says law enforcement officers across the region are very concerned about the increase in incidents between vehicles and e-bikes and scooters.
"With the warm weather being here, we want our children to get outside and enjoy themselves, but we want them to do so without putting themselves or anyone else at risk of injury, or worse, by acting recklessly," said Lehning in an interview with WBEN. "E-bike operators and e-scooter operators, as well as everyone else that has a responsibility to share the roadways, they just need to be cognizant of each other, abide by the laws, policies, and rules put in place by Erie County, their local towns and villages. And make sure you're operating in a safe manner."
Lehning notes the rules and laws put in place by Erie County and local towns and villages are not meant to be punitive in nature. They're intended to be preventative.
"It's imperative on parents to drive that message home with their children when they're out operating e-bikes and e-scooters. They have to be very, very cognizant of their surroundings, and make sure they understand when you're out there riding, there comes a certain risk and you have to pay attention," Lehning said.
With the warmer weather, Lehning says there is always an increase in bikes, motorcycles, e-bikes and e-scooters, which usually increases the chances an accident involving any of these vehicles do happen.
With educating children, teenagers and other riders in the area pertaining to safety, both Glass and Lehning are trying to use a common sense approach.
"Do not wear headphones, keep the earbuds out, be aware of your surroundings. And follow the rules of the road, but realize vehicles aren't necessarily expecting a bike coming up on them at 20 miles an hour," Glass said. "It's something that kids and adults on these things need to realize. You need to practice common sense, be aware of your surroundings, and practice the rules of the road, just like a vehicle."
One rule Lehning emphasizes for e-bike and e-scooter riders is they are only allowed to operate their vehicles on highways with a 30 mile-per-hour-or-less speed limit.
"Wearing a helmet is highly, highly recommended, and make sure to wear reflective clothing and make sure you're visible on the roadway," Lehning added. "If you're riding during the evening hours, dusk, or even in the early morning hours, just keep in mind if you see headlights, it does not mean that the driver can see you. We put this message out with pedestrians at the stadiums all the time, and drivers to not drive distracted, and to make sure they're eliminating distractions, such as cell phones, entertainment systems, and eating."
Both Glass and Lehning also make note that the use of a helmet while operating an e-bike or e-scooter is not optional. It is the law.
"The law states if you're 16 or 17 and you're riding one of these, you need a helmet on. But it should be common sense," Glass said. "If you get hit by a car and you're not wearing a helmet, you better hope luck is on your side."
"The thing is kids, they get home from school or they're on summer break or whatever, they just want to get out there. And a lot of times, not enough attention is paid to actually safely operating these e-bikes and e-scooters. They need to take the pause for the cause, and make sure they're putting that helmet on, and make sure they're wearing protective clothing, make sure they're wearing reflective clothing," Lehning added. "It's a 'see and be seen' kind of thing, and, honestly, it comes down to two things: The awareness of the children themselves, and the awareness of the parents that drive that message home with them."
Towards the end of the school year, schools often provide educational presentations on the unintended consequences of drunk driving and other safety-related matters as summer approaches. Both Glass and Lehning feel an educational presentation pertaining to e-bike and e-scooter safety could, or should be added to the curriculum for schools across the region.
"There is probably room for more attention brought up to this, on this subject," Glass said. "We've been preaching safety on these for several years. I think I did a news story just a couple of years ago on e-bike safety, we've put out flyers. The Mayor's Office has been putting out flyers online, trying to reach the kids, trying to reach the parents. This is something that's been ongoing for the past few years, and is there room for more? Maybe. We did kind of preach a little bit at the bike fair, and the bike rodeos that are coming out now, that's a good chance to connect with the kids also."
"It's extremely important that these children understand that these e-bikes and e-scooters, they're not toys. It's equipment utilized on roadways, and with that comes a lot of risk and a lot of responsibility. That message definitely needs to be driven home," Lehning added.
Glass says there are plenty of resources available for e-bike and e-scooter safety through the City of North Tonawanda.
"You can reach out to the police department anytime, and we can supply that information. The Mayor's Office has that information, and go online. All the rules are online at numerous different websites that can describe the rules of e-bike usage," he said.
As for the Erie County Sheriff's Office, Lehning says the department is constantly engaged with community leaders throughout the county to push for continued safety awareness.
"What we do is we attend a lot of Town Board meetings, our community engagement team is out there actively engaged with the communities, and speaking with town supervisors and speaking with parents at these meetings. They want to make sure that we pass out pamphlets, all kinds of different educational materials to drive the message home to these kids that are operating these e-bikes and these e-scooters that they definitely need to take into consideration before doing so," he said.
Lehning adds that dirt bikes, as well as ATVs, 4-wheelers, anything of that nature, must be registered as ATVs under state law, and they are not to be operated on local roadways.
