Electric scooters have taken over urban areas in the last year, but it hasn’t been smooth riding for everyone. Consumer Reports compiled data from hospital emergency rooms across the country. The numbers reveal a spike in gnarly fractures and traumatic brain injuries for both scooter riders and pedestrians hit by scooters. They found at least 1,500 injuries across the country since late 2017, some of them life threatening. Popular with both commuters and recreational riders, scooters by Lime, Bird and other startups usually top out at speeds of 15 miles an hour. Regulation has not been able to keep up with the proliferation, as many riders scoot without helmets or penalties for misuse. 

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