Reducing E-Scooter Injuries Demands Designing Safer Streets, Buckhead Families Are Paying Attention

If you’ve walked or biked along PATH400 lately, you’ve likely seen scooters zipping by, sometimes with kids at the handlebars. What looks like harmless fun is showing up in hospital data as a serious public health concern.

According to a recent ERideHero analysis of emergency room visits, e-scooter injuries among young people nationwide skyrocketed from fewer than 4,000 in 2020 to more than 37,000 in 2024. Children under 15 accounted for nearly half of those injuries, many involving head trauma.

Why It Matters in Buckhead

Buckhead families are increasingly embracing alternatives to cars, walking to Buckhead Village, cycling the Peachtree Corridor, and exploring PATH400. That’s a good thing. But as scooters share sidewalks and trails with kids, strollers, and joggers, safety must come first.

Atlanta’s own Vision Zero database shows four scooter-related deaths and 43 serious injuries in the city since 2020. In high traffic areas like Buckhead, where scooters are mixing with pedestrians in places never designed for high speed devices, risks are amplified.

The Bigger Picture

Nationally, over 81 million scooter trips were taken last year, with about 150,000 shared scooters in circulation daily. These numbers show scooters are here to stay. The challenge, our streets, sidewalks, and trails weren’t built with them in mind.

Denise Starling, executive director of Livable Buckhead, says, “If our streets and trails are safe for kids on scooters, they’re safe for everyone. That’s the kind of community Buckhead deserves.”

What Parents Can Do

• Helmet Up: Make helmets a non negotiable for kids and teens on scooters.

• Set Boundaries: Younger children shouldn’t be on adult sized scooters capable of high speeds.

• Choose Safer Routes: PATH400 is designed for multiple users, but families should stick to calmer sections and avoid letting kids ride at peak commuting times.

• Talk Safety Early: Treat scooters like bikes, not toys. Teach kids about speed, distance, and sharing space.

What the Community Can Do

Buckhead has an opportunity to lead in designing safer streets and trails that balance innovation with safety. Steps could include,

• Reducing speed limits in pedestrian heavy zones.

• Creating scooter parking “corrals” to avoid sidewalk clutter.

• Expanding protected lanes so scooters don’t have to mix with walkers.

The scooter industry is starting to respond as well. Lime, one of the largest scooter operators in Atlanta, has rolled out in person safety courses for first time riders. Their team also hosts pop up demonstrations, showing how to start, stop, and park scooters safely, and strongly encourages the use of helmets. Programs like these can give Buckhead families some peace of mind, especially if they are considering letting older kids try scooters for short trips.

Livable Buckhead’s ongoing work with PATH400 shows how intentional design can create safe, shared spaces. As the trail expands north and south, thoughtful planning will ensure it stays family friendly, and that our kids can enjoy it without unnecessary risk.

Bottom line: Scooters aren’t going away. But with smarter design, clearer rules, stronger safety culture, and programs like Lime’s local safety demos, Buckhead can make PATH400 and our streets safer for families, so kids can explore on two wheels without ending up in the ER.