They’re fast and convenient, but the growing number of scooters on campus raises questions about injuries, sidewalk safety and parking.

The popularity of motorized scooters has coincided with a rise in micromobility-related injuries, including fractures, head injuries and skin abrasions.

Increase of micromobility-related injuries

Micromobility-related injuries, including those from e-scooters, e-bikes and hoverboards, increased nearly 21% in 2022 compared to the previous year, according to a report from the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Since 2017, injuries from these devices increased by an estimated 23% annually.

The report also found e-scooter injuries increased by 22% from 2021 to 2022. The most commonly seen injuries were people with fractures and head injuries. Nearly half of all e-bike-related injuries from the past five years occurred in 2022.

Scootering around TCU

“I love my scooter, it’s my main way of getting around since I don’t have a car,” Leah Fletcher, a junior kinesiology major and student-athlete, said. “It’s the fastest way for me to get to class or practice, especially when I’m running late. But, I’ve nearly run into people a few times walking around campus because they are always on their phones.”

Scooters are popular among TCU athletes, but athletic trainers have seen consequences.

“I can see how they are beneficial, but I think there need to be more campus guidelines on them, because the way they’re being used right now is unsafe for the students and the people around them,” Jenna Foss, an athletic trainer, said. “The most common thing I see is people slipping because they take corners too fast or almost getting hit by a car because they don’t stop at stop signs. One extreme case was an athlete whose season was ended because they tore their ACL.”

Students said they opt for scooters for convenience and to avoid the campus parking crunch.

“For athletes, all the walking from class to class can impact recovery, so I see why they’d want to ride a scooter. But, for people who aren’t as active, I think it’s funny because walking just isn’t hard,” Taylor Douglas, a junior psychology major, said. “It can also be really annoying, I feel like I’m always having to move out of the way or juke them out.”

Scooter safety

Safety remains a key concern for TCU police due to increasing scooter-related issues on campus.

“Some students drive too fast on their scooters, making it dangerous for both riders and pedestrians,” Adrian Andrews, the assistant vice chancellor for public safety, said. “Please wear a helmet.”

Andrews noted that scooters can also create parking issues. Instead of leaving them in hallways or stairwells, he said that people should park scooters outside academic buildings and lock them to bike racks. “Never leave an unattended scooter charging in a residence hall,” Andrews added.

The university is considering new rules as scooters become a bigger part of campus life, especially if riders cannot be responsible enough on their own.