Two Revel electric scooter riders died in the same number of weeks in New York City, causing the shared electric scooter service to discontinue their service.
Revel suspends service in New York
Two weeks ago, 26-year-old CBS News reporter Nina Kapur died after being thrown from the passenger seat of a Revel scooter when the driver lost control as he swerved to avoid a car.
Neither Kapur nor the driver wore a helmet.
Yesterday, Jeremy Malave, 32, lost control of a Revel scooter and hit a light pole in the center of the median, suffering severe head trauma that was fatal. No other vehicles appear to be involved in the accident and it is unclear if he was wearing a helmet.
Following the second fatality, Revel released a statement stating that the company was temporarily suspending its service in New York.
Revel also operates fleets in Texas, Florida, California and Washington DC, although the company has not released an update on service availability in those locations.
Revel’s recent deaths and suspension of service have further fueled the heated debate over the safety of shared electric scooter programs. In Revel’s case, drivers are required to have a clean registration driver’s license to use the service, but they are not required to have a motorcycle license. Passengers must also wear a helmet, and Revel provides two helmets in the storage box of each scooter.
Revel also offers free safety classes to educate passengers on proper driving practices, although many cyclists have claimed that classes fill up quickly, resulting in long waiting lists.
The taking of Electrek
There is a lot of guilt for hanging around here. And I think we need to break it down so that every problem can be addressed, ultimately improving security for all.
Rollick:
I think Revel could do a better job of monitoring cyclists to ensure that proper safety regulations are followed, and that pilots who violate these regulations (such as driving without a helmet) should be excluded from service.
Revel also needs to do a better job of providing more security classes with more staff and in more locations.
Lastly, Revel needs to find a way to get more safety information into the passengers’ throats. That is quite difficult when registration is done through an app, and security videos can be ignored. But motorcycles are inherently dangerous (and that’s exactly what settled electric scooters are, a form of motorcycle).
Riders:
First of all, wear a helmet.
It may not have been clear, so let me repeat: WEAR A HELMET.
There is absolutely no excuse for not wearing a helmet on a motorcycle. Sure, states with lax laws like Florida will do what Florida will do, and if you’ve been riding your personal motorcycle for years, then you’re old enough to make that decision for yourself. But when riding a new scooter that doesn’t belong to you and you’re unfamiliar with, just open the damn scooter box and put on your helmet. And if sharing a helmet makes you sick (more than the mental image of your brain outside your head should), then just buy a scooter helmet. They are cheap and effective. If you can afford to rent an electric scooter, you can afford a $ 40 helmet.
If you don’t feel comfortable riding an electric scooter sitting down, don’t do it. Period. These are not small Bird scooters (which can also be lethal, for your information). These are small electric motorcycles.
As a passenger, if you do not feel that your driver has the ability to operate a vehicle like this, do not board it. I don’t get on a boat unless I know the captain is responsible and experienced, and I don’t ride the passenger unless I know the same about my driver.
I highly recommend taking an MSF Rider course if you want real two-wheel training to safely operate this type of vehicle. It is usually a weekend class and is worth a few hundred dollars. I took the course and had to learn and then successfully demonstrate the exact detour maneuver that led to Kapur’s death upstairs. Knowing how to do it correctly is what keeps the bike upright and keeps riders safe. These movements are not intuitive and the only way to learn them is by teaching them and then practicing.
The system:
In many states, including New York, 30 mph vehicles such as the seated electric scooters used by Revel can be driven by anyone with a standard driver’s license, no motorcycle license is required.
On the one hand, this makes sense, as the process currently required to obtain a motorcycle license involves a lot of superfluous steps and information for someone who just wants to drive seated electric scooters or even complete electric motorcycles. I ride electric motorcycles 98% of the time, yet I had to learn on a 500cc Harley-Davidson to pass the practical test and get my motorcycle license.
That is why I have always advocated for something between a driver’s license and a motorcycle license. A moped license, if you want. Something that would teach drivers how to safely operate fast electric bikes and scooters traveling in the 30-45 mph (48-75 km / h) range, but it wouldn’t contain all the extra junk that comes with learning to drive a gas. giant motorcycle.
The current system allows passengers to operate mopeds up to 30 mph after taking a test drive designed to make sure they know how to hold on to the wheel, and that’s not enough. Some form of two-wheel training is necessary if we are to put more of these vehicles on the road.
And for the record, I think Revel is the right answer, or part of the right answer, to the problem of sustainable urban transportation. I think there should be more companies like Revel. I also think that people should buy these scooters for their own use instead of buying cars. The list of benefits for cyclists, cities, and the environment is long and extensive. But we have to do this safely, and that means addressing the blame that falls on everyone so that we can build a better system.
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