Electric scooters pose dangerous threat to St. George children, police say

ST. GEORGE, Utah (ABC4) — With summer right around the corner, police say St. George kids are already back on their electric scooters in full force.

“It doesn’t take very much.” Sergeant Jeremy Needles with the St. George Police Department told ABC4.

Police say kids as young as 8 years old have been spotted on electric scooters, which can pose a real danger for young kids, especially when riding near cars.

“When you come up to an intersection, you need to make sure that you, as the scooter rider, stop and make eye contact with the drivers,” Needles said.

CollisionCam, a local company that films accidents at Utah’s most dangerous intersections, caught one such accident on camera. The incident, which took place on June 3 at the intersection of Riverside Drive and Mall Drive in St. George, shows a rider approaching the crosswalk; however, a driver continues through the intersection, colliding with a young person’s scooter.

“As a driver, look both ways, even if you’re making rent or double check that sidewalk, double check the right side because there could be a runner, a bicyclist, or a scooter operator that could have snuck into your area before you can make that turn,” Needles told ABC4.

Police say scooters are not allowed to go faster than 15 miles per hour and are not allowed on roads with speed limits about 25 miles per hour.

According to St. George Police, children under nine should never be operating electric scooters, and teens between nine and 15 years old should be closely monitored.

Anyone involved in an accident at select locations can request free footage by visiting collisioncam.com or calling 435-327-0615.