Two people in Dubai crashed on their e-scooters and were so severely injured that they died on the way to the hospital, said police.
Senior officers in Dubai said they witnessed 21 severe accidents due to e-scooters in 2021, including two deaths. This year also, a further ten serious accidents were reported till now.
Several more minor accidents involving e-scooters have happened but did not need police to attend. No exact figures have been made available yet.
On Wednesday, 8 June, at a press conference in Dubai, senior police officers from forces around the nation stated that more lives would get injured and die without further awareness by motorists and riders.
Another accident was reported of a rider who was transporting gas cylinders on his e-scooter, and another one was transporting around three people, said Brig Salem Al Dhaheri, Federal Traffic Council and Abu Dhabi Police.
The head of traffic awareness at the Federal Traffic Council and head of the traffic division at Ras Al Khaimah Police, Brig Ahmed Al Naqbi, stated every death could be prevented.
He said, “The numbers are not scary, but we want to stop more e-scooter accidents from happening.”
Local laws in Abu Dhabi and Dubai regard it as an offence to ride an e-scooter or even a bicycle without a helmet. But riders without helmets are very common, and police want to control this situation.
Having an e-scooter, which does not come with an attached helmet, is one of the problems about which officers need to make aware.
Dubai Police stated last year, and the crashes injured 19 people, 12 of whom had moderate injuries. Between January and June 2022, 10 e-scooter accidents were reported and dealt with by the traffic police of emirates.
Last year, the incidents led to almost two deaths in Al Nahda at the Sharjah border and Jumeirah Village. The e-scooters the victims were riding were hit by other vehicles.
One police officer said the dead riders did not stand a chance when they were severely hit.
Three others were also taken to hospital with serious injuries, and five others got minor injuries.