LOUISVILLE, Ky. - As scooters gain popularity in cities across the country, scooter-related injuries are on the rise.  A study out of the University of California-San Francisco found scooter-related injuries and hospital admissions in the United States went up 222 percent between 2014 and 2018. With scooter companies operating in more cities each year, safety guidelines are always a top concern.

Louisville is no exception. James Graham, mobility coordinator for Metro Public Works, said scooters have benefits, but they do need to be used properly to ensure safety.

"You should be aware and treat it like a legitimate mode of transportation. They are operating in the roadway. They should abide by the same rules as any other vehicle would," Graham said.

In July, Louisville updated the policy on scooters by implementing restricted use areas, no ride zones and prohibiting use between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m.

"That was in response to some of the reports coming from other cities where serious incidents were coming mostly after dark," Graham said.

Adam Bolin, the Lime operations manager for Kentucky, said the scooters use geofencing to automatically abide by restricted and no use zones.

"It will start cutting the throttle out once you approach 10 mph in the downtown business corridor and some of the parks. You are not allowed to exceed 10 mph there as per our agreement with the city," Bolin said.

In Lexington, a man died after being hit by a car while riding an electric scooter this fall. Since then, the city has discussed the option of allowing scooter use on sidewalks in some areas. No officials decisions have been made on that topic yet. 

Bolin said injuries are most common on someone's first few rides. That's why Lime holds Safe Ride Academies in Kentucky to teach people how to use the scooters before the riders head off on their own.

"We show them all the operations of the equipment," Bolin said. 

He said there will soon be more Safe Ride Academies once the weather warms  up, so people can get familiar with the scooters before ridership picks back up in the spring.

In Lexington, Lime riders have the option to join the Lime Hero Program. What that means is that each ride will round up the price to the nearest dollar. The proceeds go to the Kentucky Bike Walk Coalition, an organization that lobbies for infrastructure, laws and safety programs for scooters, bikes and pedestrians. Lime is in talks to get a similar program running in Louisville, but Bolin said those details are still not available at this time.