University students around Florida zip through campuses on electric bikes, scooters and skateboards. But with their increased popularity, there’s also been a spike in accidents.
In February last year, Connor Lynch, a 19-year-old University of South Florida student, died while scootering. Lynch had left his house keys in his friend’s car and was scootering to pick them up. Instead, a car turned in front of him and killed him.
USF Police Chief Chris Daniel said since 2023, there have been at least 29 accidents that university police on the Tampa campus have responded to.
To raise awareness about the dangers of micro-mobility, AAA and local law enforcement held a joint press conference at USF on Thursday. Next to the podium was a table where bright yellow vests and helmets surrounded a photo of Lynch.
“ The average bicyclist goes about 15 - 20 miles per hour,” said AAA spokesperson Mike Jenkins. “Electric devices like these can go 20, 30, 40, sometimes 60 miles per hour or more. And we’re talking about vulnerable road users here.”
Micro-mobility riders are more exposed to possible injury due to the lack of protection on scooters, skateboards and bikes. Riders also often don’t have proper gear.
“Not everybody’s wearing the right helmet,” said Dr. Jose Diaz, the trauma medical director at Tampa General Hospital. “So if you’re going 50 miles an hour on an E-bike and you’re wearing a bicycle helmet and fall and hit your head, it is possible you may have an injury that is worse off because you’re not wearing the right helmet.”
Still, only 10-to- 20% of all injury cases require a patient to be hospitalized, and tend to be in the 30 to 40-year-old demographic range, according to Diaz.
The recent popularity of these vehicles also means that the road rules are unclear and vary from city to city, according to a Florida Highway Patrol spokesperson.
Connor Lynch’s mother, Michelle Lynch, hopes the government can regulate the micro-mobility vehicles similar to how golf carts are regulated.
“If they are capable of going over a certain speed, they have to follow all of the same laws and regulations that any other motor vehicle has to follow,” Lynch said.
Since Connor’s passing, Lynch has founded a non-profit called the Connor Lynch Legacy Fund, which aims to raise awareness for micro-mobility safety and offer assistance to people who have been injured as a result of a scooter or bike crash.
