If you live in St. Paul or Minneapolis, you have likely heard of the new ride share scooters that have seemingly appeared overnight in the cities. Bird and Lime are the two companies who have recently landed. These new scooters are exciting and fun, but there are important safety factors to keep in mind before you, or your loved ones, begin driving a scooter.
1. Keep your head safe, keep your eyes safe.
While helmets may not look the coolest, they are the most important safety precaution to be taken while driving a scooter. In fact, helmets are so important that scooter companies, and the law, require you to wear a helmet before driving a scooter. Law enforcement will even ticket if they see a scooter driver without a helmet.
Wearing a helmet can keep your head safe and avoid brain injuries, like concussions. Concussions can cause eye pain, blurred or double vision, light sensitivity or vision loss and the repercussions on your vision and the rest of your body can be permanent.
2. Be on the lookout.
This safety tip will not only keep you and your eyes safe, it will also keep those around you safe. Just like when you are driving your car, you need to be distraction-free and pay close attention to your surroundings while driving a scooter. Don’t text and scoot, follow the rules of the road and watch out for pedestrians to avoid accidents.
If you are having trouble seeing the world around you, LASIK is a great option. LASIK can help you see the road, road signs and people around you more clearly and can help you stay safe while driving a scooter.
3. Wear protective eyewear.
The Bird and Lime scooters around town right now go an average of 15 miles per hour. While this may not seem extremely fast, it is fast enough for rocks, bugs and other debris to get into your eye while driving. Getting something in your eye while driving a scooter can cause a serious eye injury, and it can also impair your vision while driving, increasing your chance of having an accident.
Glasses do not count as protective eyewear as they are not always shatterproof, and they are expensive to replace if they get broken. Look for shatterproof eye protection to wear while driving a scooter. If you already wear glasses and don’t want to wear prescription safety glasses, or wear goggles over your prescription glasses, you might want to consider having LASIK. With your glasses out of the way, you can focus on the safety of your eyes while still having a good view of the road. To see if you are a candidate for LASIK, you can schedule a free evaluation.
If you follow the above safety tips, you and your eyes should stay safe while driving a scooter. If you do end up getting an eye injury, get to a safe place out of traffic and park your scooter. If you get something stuck in your eye, do not try to remove it as you could cause further damage. Once safe, call your eye doctor or go to the emergency room to evaluate your condition.
Have fun and drive safe!
