By EMS1 Staff
INDIANAPOLIS — Around 30 percent of scooter injuries occur while the rider is intoxicated, according to an EMS agency.
Indianapolis EMS told WISHTV that out of the 63 people that have been transported to the hospital for scooter injuries, 19 of them were intoxicated.
Officials said many people have broken bones from falling from the scooters, and added that riding one while intoxicated can result in an OWI.
“They are motorized vehicles and should be treated as such, very much like a vehicle,” IEMS spokesperson Brian Van Bokkelen said.
IU Health toxicologist Dr. Kris Nanagas agreed.
“Even though the scooter may not be the most dangerous piece of equipment, you’re still in an urban environment where there are cars and there are other pedestrians and there are other scooters,” Nanagas said.
The CDC is working with the city of Austin to study how to prevent scooter crashes by working with EMS agencies to look at dozens of injuries and calls, according to CBS Austin.