You’ve seen them everywhere, from marketing stunts to the local teens scooting around town. Seemingly from nowhere, scooters are back in business and bigger than ever now they have the ever-so-modern addition of electric motors. With UK-based Halford’s recording exponentially increasing sales year-on-year and social media quickly finding a home for electric scooter enthusiasts, it’s easy to wonder if this is just a fad or is this going to be a trend that cements itself in the public’s idea of normal?
Environmentally Friendly Transport
Although not as green or fast as hopping on a bicycle, e-scooters do represent a step forward in the young adult’s choices of transport. Compared to cars and traditional motor scooters, they rely entirely on electric motors which have no direct impact on the environment, simply requiring regular recharging.
With millions of people now choosing to cover their short-haul trips by scooting, this can represent a significant change in the amount of Co2 being released into the atmosphere by the general public, something which should always be encouraged!
For All Ages
One of the common characteristics of a modern fad is the age-restricted nature of many of them. Although older people will always get involved with a new fad (such as with the emphatic cries of “Pokémon Go-to-the-polls” we would all rather forget about) they never usually represent the target audience of the product.
E-scooters, on the other hand, is appealing to all ages, whether you are a parent looking to cut your chore time or an enthusiast seeking thrills, everyone can find a use for a scooter. This widely available appreciation has certainly led to widespread adoption and it’s easy to see why especially in a world with such frequent use of national lockdowns and everyone has plenty of free time.
Legality
Unfortunately, like the oddly conceived “Hoverboards” can attest, e-scooters have found themselves in a strange legal grey zone where no one – including many governments – has any idea whether they are completely safe and should be allowed on roads.
Although it may not seem like it when you take a walk down the street, it is illegal in many countries to use any sort of motorized vehicle on the sidewalk, and hoverboards very quickly discovered that it isn’t so easy to gain road-legal status.
Rent-a-Scoot
One place where e-scooters have found a fairly stable home is in publicly available renting. In 2018, many Americans awoke to find that e-scooters were suddenly scattered all over their towns. What seemed to be an odd marketing ploy at first glance ended up starting a widely available system akin to public bike rental systems common in Europe.
But having their official acceptance be in such a tightly corporation-controlled space isn’t necessarily an advantage. This could be exactly what governments need to see to decide that they should only be allowed in such spaces, as reports of scooter-related accidents and fatalities are rising by the month when it comes to uncontrolled usage by the public.
The Future
It is extremely hard to know where the future of e-scooters lies. They are incredibly useful as a quick, environmentally friendly, and easy to use method of transport for those who prefer not to use bikes but don’t want the high cost and bulk of traditional motorcycles and cars.
Unfortunately, until more countries’ governments decide where they stand on this issue, it is impossible to completely know. If you had asked during the height of the hoverboard or drone crazes, anyone would have predicted that they would be around forever.
The Present
As it stands now, it certainly looks like they may be around for a long time as they are generally considered safe enough and have a lot more potential to be made safer than other, less forward-thinking modes of transport.
If you’re looking to speed up your trip to the shops or your next responsibly distanced social event and have made it this far through this article, then you might want to check out thescooterguide.com to find some guides on finding the perfect scooter for you!
