An ICU nurse has a plea to the public: Stop riding Lime scooters.
In a viral TikTok, Chenedy (@chenedyy) says, “We need to stop riding those [expletive] motorized scooters.” She says motorized scooters like Lime scooters cause life-threatening injuries such as paralysis, citing recent examples.
“I have seen it first-hand,” she says. She says when she was 20 years old, before she knew how dangerous the scooters were, she rode one, fell on her face, chipped her tooth, and now has a false front tooth. Chenedy says this was in 2019, one year before she became a nurse, and she has since seen many motorized scooter accidents on the job.
Her clip has more than 3 million views since going live four days ago.
‘No One Wears Helmets!!’
Chenedy says that her sister recently saw someone pass away in their city as a result of scooters. “There is no reason for you to be going 20 miles per hour on the street… Nobody’s talking about it,” she adds.
In the comments section, viewers agreed that the scooters were dangerous and that people didn’t seem to grasp just how much.
One wrote, “CORRECT i saw a girl on a lime scooter on the HIGHWAY heading into downtown … like no sense of safety.”
A second said, “I have a plate and 5 screws in my foot because of a e scooter. Only been on 1 time.”
“And the way they zip through traffic with no care for their safety it’s so scary,” a third wrote.
Are Lime Scooters Really Dangerous?
They can be. They have risks that the public hasn’t collectively grasped. In an article, Bear Law cited five reasons Lime and Bird electric scooters are dangerous.
Defects: The throttle can get stuck, the brakes can fail, and the steering can malfunction. These are just a few examples of the many defects observed in Lime and Bird scooters.
Top-heavy: E-scooters are top-heavy, making them more likely to tip over than a traditional bicycle. This can become especially dangerous at top speeds, as a rider could be thrown from the scooter.
Limited instructions: Lime and Bird scooters give few instructions when you rent one, increasing the likelihood of rider injury.
Not well-lit: They’re not well-lit, meaning riders are less visible to drivers and are more likely to get in an accident.
Not widely regulated: Few laws regulate electric scooters, meaning anyone—regardless of age or experience level—can ride them, leading to accidents.
If I Want To Ride One, How Can I Do It Safely?
- Wear a helmet.
- Be aware of your surroundings: Look out for potholes, bumps, or other obstacles that could make you lose control.
- Use lights: Use the scooter’s lights if you’re riding at night so you’re visible to drivers.
- Stay off busy roads: Stick to side streets and areas where there’s little traffic. But this may not be possible as some cities cracked down on the use of e-scooters on sidewalks.
- Follow local laws and regulations: Follow the rules of the road and obey traffic laws.
@chenedyy I’m begging. Please. Put this on the news. Please listen to me. #icunurse #psa #sos #escooter #fyp
UPDATE: A Lime representative told BroBible in a statement, “Safety is critical to the success of micromobility programs in Chicago and around the world. We invest considerable time and resources in the safety of riders and non-riders alike. This includes designing our vehicles in-house, developing rider education and on-vehicle technology to help riders feel confident, and sharing our data with cities to determine where infrastructure improvements like protected bike lanes would be most valuable. We’re proud that 99.99% of rides globally end without a reported incident.”
BroBible has contacted Chenedy via TikTok comment and email. It has contacted Bird via press email.