AUSTIN, Texas – The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will soon be studying the effects dockless scooters have on public health.

  • CDC studying dockless scooter crashes
  • First study of patterns associated with scooter crashes
  • 11,851 scooters in Austin

Officials with Austin Public Health and Austin Transportation are teaming up with CDC scientists to conduct the nation’s first-ever study of the patterns associated with scooter crashes.

The study comes after dozens of EMS calls about scooter injuries in the Austin-area over a 60-day period from September 5 to November 4. Data collected will be used to educate city officials as they work to adopt new scooter rules.

Epidemiologists will question the people injured and determine the patterns in relation to severity of injuries. Additionally, they will look for frequency, and factors involved in the crashes.

Seven scooter companies are currently licensed in the city with 11,851 scooters deployed on Austin’s streets, according to a report by the Austin City Council Mobility Committee.

Austin City Council isn’t expected to vote on scooter rules until March 2019, once the study is completed.