ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Orange County is working on a new ordinance that would regulate the use of electronic scooters.
In the process, county staff compiled information about the crashes and injuries involving the scooters across Orlando, UCF’s campus and I-drive.
When more students were on campus, data shows UCF averaged about 10,000 trips a day on scooters and most of the injuries involving scooters happened in the street, not on sidewalks.
Records show speed and alcohol tend to be the main contributing factors to those incidents.
Scooters returned to campus last month after school leaders suspended the pilot program in March because of the pandemic and an increase in injuries from crashes.
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Some students said they can’t imagine getting by without them.
“I don’t have a car. So, I work at Gringos (Locos) and it’s kind of a far walk, it’s like a 30-minute walk. So, the scooters make it a lot more convenient,” student Robert McDonald said.
In just a few months last year, 141 people crashed on a scooter at UCF.
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Last January, 80 people were injured and 15 of those were serious.
And last February, 35 were injured and nine were serious.
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But regardless of the issues, UCF leaders said scooters are here to stay.
“The e-scooters here have really benefitted us and our students can’t live without them, I think,” said Andy Rampersad, with UCF Parking and Transportation Services.
Orange County Commissioners said they are taking all of this into consideration for an ordinance they’re working on. They plan to discuss the issue this summer.
