Scooters are one of the worst things to ever happen to college campuses.
There have been many times on my walk to class when I have been almost laid out by an electric scooter rider who thought it would be cool to bob and weave through a major crowd of people.
These scooters are both a threat to the rider themselves and to anyone who has the displeasure of getting in their way.
Electric scooters were the cause of 115,713 injuries through 2025, which was about an 80% increase from the previous year, when there were only 64,312 injuries. Five years ago in 2020, there were only 29,344 electric scooter-related injuries, which is an increase of 294.333% from the Electric Scooter Accident Report 2025.
A big reason for this jump in injuries is that the electric scooter is becoming way more abundant. Electric scooter companies have been growing over the past years. In my time in New York, I felt like every single turn I took, I saw a scooter. I even rode one, and it felt like I was behind the wheel of an unregulated machine of destruction.
The effect on riders doesn’t even stop at injuries. Deaths due to electric scooters happen to riders and people who are sharing the pavement with them.
The majority of injuries suffered by scooter riders are to the head or the face, 31.97% according to the Electric Scooter Accident Report 2025.
In the state of Illinois, there is no rule when it comes to scooter helmets, so if you hit something a little weird on the road, you will be going over the handlebars and ramming your head into whatever or whoever is going to be in front of you.
There aren’t many rules when it comes to electric kick scooters in Illinois; you don’t need insurance, you don’t need a driver’s license and you just have to be 18. When it comes to more high-powered scooters, there are more regulations, mainly that you have to have a driver’s license and insurance in some instances.
Eastern does have rules when it comes to scooters and other common objects that are ridden around campus. They may not be used for excessive speed, stunt riding or anything else that could cause damage. They also have it so you can not ride them in buildings and for electric vehicles, you are not allowed to store them in campus housing.
The effectiveness of these rules is pretty hard to figure out. I have seen electric scooters inside the dorm multiple times. I’ve even seen people ride through the halls of the dorms, and I have a feeling that people are not leaving their scooters out.
On paper, electric scooters make a lot of sense. They are very easy to navigate with, and they make any trip that might even be more than a few minutes insanely fast.
There are very good uses for electrical vehicles if you cannot make the trips. But if you do not need these electric scooters. Eastern Illinois University is a very small campus. Old Main to Lawson Hall is only a 10-minute walk. It is not that difficult.
Comfort and mobility should not give anyone the right way to hurt someone.
So please, I beg of you, people who do not need scooters for accessibility or who spend way too much money to shorten their walk: Just put down the scooter.
Emerson Reynolds can be reached at 581-2812 or at [email protected].
