PHOENIX (Dec. 22, 2018) – If Santa delivers an electric scooter this year as a gift, be careful. The mechanized vehicles that can go more than 15 miles an hour have been involved in an increasing number of accidents, say Banner Health emergency and safety experts.

At Banner Desert Medical Center in Mesa, Arizona, an Emergency-department physician recently treated three scooter-related accidents in one day. Banner Baywood Medical Center in Mesa sees about two cases per month as people fall from them or even run into a wall while operating them.

“In the Emergency department, we are treating injuries like head bleeds, head injuries, traumatic brain injuries, broken bones of any type from those scooters,’’ said Melissa Luxton, RN, injury-prevention coordinator at Banner Health.

B-roll/SOT of Luxton discussing dangers of electric scooters

Luxton offers these safety tips when it comes to electric scooters:

• Wear the right gear: Use helmets, knee and elbow pads when riding the scooter

• Be prepared: Practice with the scooter in a safe, quiet space before taking it out along major streets.

• Treat it like a car: Don’t text while operating a scooter. Use both hands to operate it and obey traffic laws.
   

About Banner Health

Headquartered in Arizona, Banner Health is one of the largest nonprofit health care systems in the country. The system owns and operates 28 acute-care hospitals, Banner Health Network, Banner – University Medicine, academic and employed physician groups, long-term care centers, outpatient surgery centers and an array of other services; including Banner Urgent Care, family clinics, home care and hospice services, pharmacies and a nursing registry. Banner Health is in six states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Nebraska, Nevada and Wyoming. For more information, visit www.BannerHealth.com.