FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) — With electric scooters appearing more frequently on city streets and near campuses, Fresno police are renewing warnings to riders about safety after dozens of scooter-related crashes last year.
Fresno Police Department Sergeant Todd Turney said officers responded to 36 collisions involving scooters in 2024, many of them near school zones. Police determined that scooter riders were at fault in about 75 percent of those crashes.
“You’re looking at some significant injuries that can be sustained, from broken bones to loss of consciousness to the worst-case scenario, being possible death,” Turney said.
Police say the number of crashes underscores ongoing concerns about rider behavior and awareness.
Turney said many incidents involve riders failing to pay attention to traffic, pedestrians or traffic controls.
“That the operators of the scooters aren’t necessarily paying attention to their surroundings or operating them in a safe manner with regard to other vehicles or pedestrians,” Turney said when asked what the crash data indicates.
Earlier in the day, we saw a scooter rider at Fresno State entering a crosswalk and narrowly missing a passing car, highlighting the close calls police say they frequently encounter.
Turney urged parents to talk with children who use scooters about safety.
“If parents out there have a young one that’s riding the scooter, we want them to speak to them about scooter safety,” he said.
The renewed safety message comes as a new study by Uplift Legal Funding ranked several Central Valley counties among the most dangerous in the state for cyclists.
Fresno and Kern counties tied for eighth place, while Merced County was ranked 12th.
Cyclists and scooter riders face particular risks because they lack the protection of a full-size vehicle, according to Ron Chakov of Motion Madness E-Bikes in Clovis. Visibility is also a challenge.
“Be aware of your surroundings, you know. What could happen? (Are) cars coming from different directions,” Chakov said.
He added that making riders more visible could help reduce crashes.
“You are the little one out there. So, you want to be noticed, and the visibility, you’re right, with the LED lights and headlights in general, I think could make a difference,” Chakov said.
Police are urging riders to slow down, wear helmets and follow the same traffic laws as other vehicles on the road.
“You’re still required to obey the laws of the roadway, so stopping at the stop signs, stopping at the stop lights, making sure that the roadways are clear before you enter the roadways,” Turney said.
Officers also emphasized that scooter riders can be cited if they are found at fault in a collision. Such citations can cost riders a few hundred dollars.
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