E-scooter riders are being reminded of the safety rules in the lead up to the Christmas holidays with Neuron Mobility launching their ScootSafe campaign in partnership with the Australian Road Safety Foundation.
Over the festive period, e-scooters are typically used by more people, some of whom are less familiar with, or less inclined, to follow the rules and safety guidelines. This can lead to an increase in cases of bad parking, drinking and riding, and people not wearing helmets.
To further reinforce safety over the holiday period, Neuron’s Festive ScootSafe campaign includes a series of short videos that will be shared on social media, targeting 18- 44 year olds, who make up 70% of the company’s users. The videos include reminders around responsible parking, no drinking and riding and also urges riders to wear a helmet.
The campaign will involve Neuron holding festive ScootSafe events across Australia in the lead up to and over the Christmas holidays.
Riders who visited the festive ScootSafe event had the opportunity to take a short safety briefing and earn festive rewards such as free credits for future rides.
Neuron is also encouraging riders to visit their recently launched in-app safety centre, where riders have the opportunity to earn up to $7 in Neuron credits through watching a series of short educational videos on how to be a responsible rider and completing Neuron’s city specific Safe Rider Quiz.
Richard Hannah, Head of ANZ at Neuron Mobility, said Neuron’s e-scooters were as safe as they have ever been, however like all forms of mobility, it was important that riders were responsible and not complacent this Christmas.
“We want to take this opportunity to reinforce the rules and safety guidelines with the holiday period upon us, and encourage members of the public to learn more about responsible riding,” he said.
“With more people expected to be out and about drinking over the Christmas holidays, we are reminding all of our riders to never drink and ride, park responsibly and please wear the helmet provided on our e-scooters.”
Russell White, CEO of ARSF said there was an increased chance of people riding under the influence of alcohol during the holidays, increasing the chance for incidents.
“With school holidays upon us parents could also be tempted to ride with their children on the same e-scooter,” he said.
“We’re urging riders to be responsible this Christmas.
“Don't be complacent, don't drink and ride, and please wear a helmet – Neuron's e-scooters all have one provided, so use them to protect your most important asset, even on the shortest trip.”
Safety is Neuron’s number one priority, with the e-scooters packed with a range of safety features.
This includes the world’s first app-controlled Helmet Lock which secures a helmet to the e-scooter, electronically releasing it to use at the start of their booking.
Riders should always use the helmets provided.
Other safety features include “Follow My Ride” which allows riders to share their trip with friends and family in real time for added safety and peace of mind; and a 000 emergency button which can tell if someone has had a fall, then help them call the emergency services.
Neuron’s dedicated safety team continues to ensure the e-scooters are safe and sanitised.
They are armed with hospital-grade disinfectant to keep the e-scooters and helmets completely clean and germ-free.
Important riding rules and safety tips:
- Riders must be 18 years old and above
- Do not ride under the influence of alcohol or any other substance
- E-scooters can only be ridden on the pavement, not on roads or on on-road bicycle lanes
- Only one rider allowed per e-scooter, and no tandem riding with children
- Wearing a helmet is mandatory, there is one on every Neuron e-scooter
- Maintain a safe distance from other vehicles particularly when turning
- Be aware of the riding environment and remove distractions (including earphones)
- Give way to pedestrians and mobility devices (such as wheelchairs) at all times
- Park responsibly, don't obstruct access areas, don’t park too close to a junction
- Keep both hands on the handlebars
And every single one of those riding rules and safety tips are broken constantly.
These motorised scooters are a plague on our FOOTpaths. Dangerous and a menace to the elderly in particular.
Agree with the comment above, but if the rules aren,t policed and fines issued nothing will change and as for age group 18 to 44 it is very clear that the vast majority of riders are well under the age of 18,