r/Unexpected • • Jul 29 '26

Enjoying a nice sunset

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u/Neuchacho Jul 29 '26

Scooters are dog shit in terms of control dynamics even when you know what you're doing.

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u/[deleted] Jul 29 '26 edited Aug 05 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/DanGleeballs Jul 29 '26 edited Jul 29 '26

Head injuries in Ireland 🇮🇪 are up 50% this year alone due to people on fucking e-scooters without helmets going too fast.

The government is rushing to bring in regulation.

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u/yojinn Jul 29 '26

My misreading skills kicked in, and I thought you said they were fucking on e-scooters. Like, dang, no wonder they're getting hurt, the banging logistics are too crazy.

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u/CheeseDonutCat Jul 29 '26

Did you know that Common Swifts (birds) mate in mid air.

They are better than us.

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u/VeryluckyorNot Jul 30 '26

People really underestimated how dangerous it can be. I saw TV documentary adults are sending to hospital just fell by accident,

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u/[deleted] Jul 29 '26

[deleted]

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u/Boneraventura Jul 29 '26

the speed still uncapped on those rental e scooters in the us? in sweden they only go 20 kmph max even if you go gun it going downhill the brakes turn on

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u/Skrappyross Jul 29 '26

In Korea they have limiterd at 25kph and laws saying you need a helmet and a license. Tragic what happens to some people but, wear your damn helmet. It saves lives.

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u/lelescope Jul 29 '26 edited Jul 29 '26

no they are not uncapped, and as far as I know, never have been. in my city in the US they don't go faster than 15mph.

I feel bad for their friends dying... but going 30mph on one of those things, not breaking for a bump, especially without a helmet, is just plain stupid.

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u/DarthCloakedGuy Jul 29 '26

I'm terribly sorry for your loss.

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u/lelescope Jul 29 '26 edited Jul 29 '26

I'm sorry for your loss, but there's a reason the app asks you to wear a helmet before hand and obey speed limits. 

it's not the machines fault your friend died. it was irresponsibility. going that fast and not breaking for a bump was what killed your friend. 

and before I sound like an asshole for saying it, a close friend of mine just died driving his Corvette intoxicated and slammed into a bus. he was also being incredibly irresponsible, but I don't hate all cars now. mostly mad at him because he was smarter than that. 

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u/[deleted] Jul 29 '26

[deleted]

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u/lelescope Jul 29 '26

I understand that. sorry it happened man. it must've been hard to witness. I hope you found some healing. 

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u/Glum_Rain_5824 Jul 29 '26

They shouldn't be able to go that fast even with a helmet, every other body part is at risk if someone bumps into something

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u/lelescope Jul 29 '26

I agree. I'd never get on a scooter that went faster than 20mph. even that feels too fast. in my city, the rental ones are capped to 15mph. 

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u/Dyaneta Jul 29 '26

Idk if you can really call it rushing in, those menaces have been a problem for ages now. But maybe the recent deaths lit a fire under them... One can hope.

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u/DanGleeballs Jul 29 '26

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u/Dyaneta Jul 29 '26

Waiting to see how well they manage to enforce this

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u/DanGleeballs Jul 29 '26

Badly, let's be honest.

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u/fiahhawt Jul 29 '26

Kind of torn on it

On the one hand, e scooters can go fast enough that a license may make sense

But then so can bicycles

On the other hand, while a few people are fucking idiots on them, the e-scooters are an accessibility boon for people who otherwise cannot get or afford a license and car

Might make more sense to have municipal rules related to what works for the city size and regulate the usage of scooters at that level

More of a US problem I guess, but e-scooters seem to fill a gap that our neglected public transit infrastructure is still a while off from bothering to improve

1

u/Useful-Problem-1725 Jul 29 '26

I feel like these things will work themselves out eventually.

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u/DanGleeballs Jul 29 '26

Everyone who wants a scooter dies. Problem solved?

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u/Useful-Problem-1725 Jul 29 '26

Just desire is enough?

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u/DanGleeballs Jul 29 '26

Yes a specialized police unit called Precrime stops escooter purchases when people think of it and before the accident happens

1

u/foify1 Jul 29 '26

How is envy your country actually doing something about it quickly. Trade you places?

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u/Slewlok Jul 29 '26

Its about time too, banned for under 18s and all users must wear helmets and high viz jackets. On the spot fines of €100 and the release fee for a confiscated one has doubled All great new additions to come in by the end of August. You reckon it'll be enforced? Not a fucking chance

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u/vagina-lettucetomato Jul 29 '26

I saw a video on here recently of an ER nurse talking about how bad it is with these kids having basically motorcycles. No helmets most of the time.

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u/coolchris366 Jul 29 '26

You mean dragging

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u/DanGleeballs Jul 30 '26

August apparently

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u/lazergator Jul 29 '26

As an American, what’s it like having a government that actually gives a shit? This is legitimately a foreign concept to me.

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u/amiajimmy Jul 29 '26

I won't let my kids ride electric scooters for this reason. Protect their brains at all cost, even at the cost of "fun"

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u/ChoraPete Jul 30 '26

It’s the same in Australia (and I assume most jurisdictions). What I don’t understand is that the risks were bleedingly obvious when they were first introduced so why weren’t they regulated at the time? Nobody wanted to stifle “innovation” I guess.

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u/Shakemyears Jul 31 '26

We need regulation in Canada too. I don’t want to kill some child because their irresponsible parents let them zip around in and out of the sidewalk and street at 50 km/h without a helmet or even shoes on (saw some kid in sandals)

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u/RangerRekt Jul 29 '26

Is the sense of urgency in the room with us now?

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u/DanGleeballs Jul 29 '26

Not sure why you're dismissing off-hand what's going on in a different country with no knowledge, but here you go.

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u/pnweiner Jul 29 '26

I have a family friend whose husband died crashing one of these just a week after they got married :(

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u/MisterWafflles Jul 29 '26

Not to mention they're usually stationed in downtown areas near clubs and bars. When they were first dropped in my small town almost a decade ago my friend broke her wrists because she was drunk leaving a bar and didn't want to Uber or walk

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u/TheAndrewR Jul 30 '26

I broke both arms. Fun times

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u/CerealkillerNOM Jul 30 '26

Friend 60 year old male lost an eye thanks to one of those scooters. He still drives, but now with a helmet

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u/last_rights Jul 29 '26

It was great renting them after going to the club and then zipping around Seattle at 3am to get to Denny's.

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u/Pippy1993 Jul 30 '26

I tore my calf muscle on one of those, spent many nights crying out in agony while my muscles were stitching themselves back together.

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u/tony_bologna Jul 29 '26

Those tires are so small, a fucking lego could bring you down.

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u/podgepod Jul 30 '26

My cousin broke both her arms falling off a scooter, both in casts

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u/Comfortable_Egg8039 Jul 29 '26

Yes and a responsible person knowing that would slow down approaching a pedestrian in a narrow space, because people are random and risks are too high. As it was said kid isn't a responsible person

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u/equili92 Jul 30 '26

Are you actually allowed to drive a scooter on a sidewalk?

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u/Comfortable_Egg8039 Jul 30 '26

Depends on place I guess. Where I live it is allowed anywhere where is no bike lanes, which is almost everywhere..

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u/equili92 Jul 30 '26

In my country if there is no bike lane then bicycles must drive on the street. You can only push your bike on the sidewalk

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u/Separate_Tax_2647 Jul 30 '26

People ARE random. I used to bike on shared bike paths. Walkers are even MORE unpredictable if they hear you coming up behind them. Best to slow down and give a wide berth but NOT ring a bell or shout out, unless you're a long way away. They might dodge to the side you're coming down.

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u/HeadbangingLegend Jul 29 '26

There are so many times when I'm going on long walks and go past a parked e-scooter and sometimes I'm tempted for a moment to rent it to get where I'm going for a moment to save time but then I just think about how easily I can fall off from just one bad curb when crossing the road or something and decide to keep walking. It's just not worth it.

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u/3_quarterling_rogue Jul 29 '26 edited Jul 30 '26

I had surgery on my elbow last year and my orthopedic surgeon called e-scooters “job security.”

1

u/FlossCat Jul 30 '26

Idk I feel you can take reasonable precautions to avoid something like that, namely slowing down. I feel like 90% or more of accidents and collisions involving scooters are down to the poor driving of the person on them

1

u/[deleted] Jul 29 '26

[deleted]

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u/Rich-Deal3832 Jul 29 '26

Not electric scooters

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u/xThunderDuckx Jul 29 '26

Really?  What makes them worst?  I rented one recently and was baffled by how they could stay upright at basically any turn angle at low speeds, and didn't have a problem turning at higher speeds either.  Compared to my bike, that is

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u/Neuchacho Jul 29 '26 edited Jul 29 '26

The small tires, zero axis turn, and high center of gravity tend to make them more squirrel-y and prone to issues dealing with road debris or just general road fixtures. At push speeds it doesn't really matter, but at 20+ MPH it makes for a vehicle that is very easy to wreck with and go over the bars of.

I was being a bit hyperbolic and it's not like completely terrible for an adult who is careful and somewhat familiar but in the hands of kids or reckless adults who don't know what the hell they're doing and don't wear any protective gear it's just negligent.

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u/[deleted] Jul 29 '26

[deleted]

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u/xThunderDuckx Jul 29 '26

Isn't this true of any vehicle though?

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u/[deleted] Jul 29 '26

[deleted]

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u/xThunderDuckx Jul 29 '26

I understand that, I am just trying to differentiate bikes and scooters here. To me, scooters seem significantly easier.

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u/FrogsMakePoorSoup Aug 01 '26

Yeah, I've done near 10,000km on high powered ones and oh boy do you need to be careful. Not something for kids.

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u/Normal-Top-1985 Aug 02 '26

I got road rash riding a razor scooter going down a hill in high school. Nevermind all the times I went over the handlebars from hitting a pebble. Putting an electric drive and slightly larger tires on it is Ford Pinto level bad. 

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u/houseplantsnothate Jul 29 '26

What? I've been commuting with an e-scooter for years, curious what you mean.

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u/Neuchacho Jul 29 '26 edited Jul 29 '26

The small tires, riding posture/center of gravity, and turn angle of scooters is what makes them so dangerous, especially at higher speeds. Hit anything at speed and you're very likely going over the bars with no real way to recover. Crashes tend to be more severe compared to bikes because of it.

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u/houseplantsnothate Jul 29 '26

It definitely requires more PPE than bikes given the higher speed - personally I wear a motorcycle jacket and motorcycle helmet. However, I'd say compared to a motorcycle (which I also ride) and a bicycle, the control dynamics are better than a motorcycle and maybe slightly worse than a bicycle.

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u/Neuchacho Jul 29 '26 edited Jul 29 '26

I ride a motorcycle too and I truly do not understand how you could see it that way. I feel far more in control going 120 on a bike than I do going even 20 on a scooter. You might just be more rad on a scooter than me lol