Lime e-scooters launch in Hagley Park. Video supplied.
A dentist is warning of the danger of "smashed smiles" posed by Lime e-scooters endangering pedestrians and riders after treating a rider who was concussed after striking the pavement face-first.
The warning comes as another 500 electric scooters are set to be unleashed on Auckland streets today, adding to the already 500 in the city.
Auckland Mayor Phil Goff has requested an urgent safety briefing from council officials, which is due by the end of this week.
Lumino City Dental at Quay Park dentist Dr Andrea Shepperson said the practice, based in Auckland's CBD, treated a patient on Thursday who, in a bid to avoid pedestrians braked and lost control, hitting the pavement face-first.
"The patient suffered concussion, pushed a front tooth up into the gum and now faces extensive treatment."
It was the only Lime E-Scooter-related injury the practice had treated but it was "inevitable" there would be more to come.
"The accident knocked and displaced the tooth and it was lucky the accident wasn't more serious, could have been a brain injury.
"Also, ACC is picking up the tab, they have already been commenting and I can only see this can escalate."
The incident between her patient and an elderly couple came down to pedestrian confusion, neither the rider nor the couple knew where to turn.
A dentist is warning of the dangers of Lime E-scooters to pedestrians and riders after treating a patient that hit the pavement face-first, giving themselves a concussion. Photo / Michael Craig
"There have been times where I have been challenged, wondering which way I go."
Helmets were a must but they couldn't be shared as easily as the scooters, it was a hygiene issue.
"The challenge with a helmet is that you don't share helmets. If you are a dedicated scooter rider then bring a helmet where you go."
Just eight days after the scooters were launched in New Zealand, 14 riders had lodged ACC claims.
Nine of those claims had come from users in Auckland with the rest in Christchurch.
A spokeswoman for Lime told the Herald rider safety was its top priority.
"All our users must abide by all the same city and state laws as if they were operating their own cars, bikes or scooters. This includes laws surrounding the use of mobile phones while travelling.
"While Lime's scooters can reach 25km/h, it is up to the rider to deem what speed is reasonable based off of their surroundings.
"Lime urges riders to practise safe riding by wearing helmets both through notifications on the app and on the actual scooter."
