Beverly Hills police cracking down on electric scooter safety

ByJosh Haskell and ABC7.com staff KABC logo
Saturday, July 21, 2018
Beverly Hills police cracking down on electric scooter safety
Riders have received more than 100 warnings and citations over the past week for cruising without helmets or driver's licenses.

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (KABC) -- The Beverly Hills Police Department is cracking down on the use of electric scooters.

Riders have received more than 100 warnings and citations over the past week for cruising without helmets or driver's licenses.

Companies Bird and Lime rent electric scooters inside the city limits.

"They're not that sturdy to me, to be honest, so we'll see how it goes," said Victoria Daniel, who rode a Lime scooter in Beverly Hills. "There's a lot of cars, a lot of traffic. Maybe it's not the safest of all routes but I just wanted to try it, to see what it was all about.

"It's like riding a skateboard," she added. "You see kids riding skateboards all around, you never see them wearing helmets. Do you know what I mean? But it's probably for the better, yes."

The police department also says it may remove scooters from the sidewalk if they are obstructing vehicular or pedestrian traffic.

In a statement, Lime said it "shares the city's desire to promote safety and proper riding behavior. We hope to partner with law enforcement to educate riders rather than relying primarily on punitive measures."

The City Council on Tuesday plans to consider adding regulations of motorized scooters.