E-Scooter and E-Bike Safety

Safe Scooting Starts With you

Adhere to UMD e-scooter operation and parking regulations and follow the 9-point safe riding guide below to protect yourself and others.

If you don’t have an e-scooter or e-bike of your own, Veo, Lyft, and Capital Bikeshare provide shared bikes, e-scooters, and e-bikes at a discounted rate for students, faculty, and staff.  

#1. LEARN HOW TO OPERATE YOUR E-SCOOTER OR E-BIKE

If you are a first-time rider or are unfamiliar with how your e-scooter or e-bike operates, review the operation and safety information provided by your scooter’s operating company. Practice stopping, starting, and using your body weight to gradually turn and change lanes.

Before you ride, check your:

  1. Charge: Make sure your e-scooter or e-bike has enough charge to get where you’re going
  2. Frame: Push forward and backward on the handlebars to check the frame is in good condition
  3. Riding Gear: Test the lights, breaks, throttle, and tires. 
  4. Hazards: Check to make sure any exposed or rusted bolts, cabling and accessories are secure before you ride. Follow the latest battery safety advice to prevent fires. 

If you are using the Veo app, go to Settings and turn on Education Mode, which will turn on safe riding instructions and automatically limit your speed. 

#2. Ride on the road

Stick to low-traffic and low-speed areas and use bike lanes or trails when possible. Exercise caution if it is necessary to cross or briefly travel on a busy road. If a sidewalk is the only way to reach your destination, step off your e-scooter or e-bike and walk. Pedestrians are unpredictable and vulnerable on sidewalks, and may not be able to anticipate an oncoming e-scooter or e-bike

#3. Follow the rules of the road

Maryland State Law (MD Transp Code § 11-104 (2019) regulates e-scooters and e-bikes under the same code that regulates standard bicycles. This means that e-scooter and e-bike riders must be operated on the road or on permitted trails and follow all traffic laws. These laws include, but are not limited to, stopping at stop signs, obeying traffic signals, riding in the direction of traffic, and yielding to other vehicles and pedestrians. Due to its speed, Class 3 e-bikes face some restrictions on bicycle paths, so it’s important to adhere to posted signage. 

Moving Violations

The UMD Police Department is responsible for enforcing electric scooter/bicycle moving violations. The registered owner  is responsible for all traffic citations.

#4. ALWAYS YIELD TO PEDESTRIANS

When you see a pedestrian in your right-of-way, slow down and come to a complete stop if you are at an intersection. If pedestrians are crossing midblock, or you are on a trail, announce that you are “on your left”, ring your bell, and wait for their acknowledgment before passing them, as they may be distracted. 

#5. WEAR A HELMET

Helmets are available for a discounted price at the DOTS office in Regents Drive Garage. We also host many helmet giveaway events throughout the year. Consider wearing additional protective gear, such as wrist guards, elbow pads and knee pads. 

#6. DO NOT WEAR EARBUDS OR HEADPHONES WHILE OPERATING AN E-SCOOTER OR E-BIKE

Earbuds and headphones are a distraction that prevents you from anticipating other vehicles and pedestrians.  

#7. NO MORE THAN ONE PERSON AT A TIME SHOULD OPERATE AN E-SCOOTER OR E-BIKE

E-scooters and single passenger e-bikes are not built to handle the weight of more than one rider. 

#8. KEEP YOUR EYES ON THE ROAD AND BOTH HANDS ON THE HANDLEBARS AT ALL TIMES

You need two hands to maintain control of your e-scooter or e-bike. Don’t text and drive. Refrain from carrying packages or other items that obstruct your view, prevent you from keeping two hands on the handlebars, or prevent you from maintaining your balance.

#9. Stay alert at all times

Don’t put yourself or others at risk of a collision by operating your e-scooter/e-bike—or any other vehicle—while distracted. With a high volume of pedestrians and many types of vehicles on our campus roads, we must look out for each other as we traverse our campus.

Examples of safe and unsafe riding practices:

Disclaimer: E-scooter or e-bike personal mobility devices are provided by a third-party vendor, not by the University of Maryland. Your use of this technology comes with certain risks, and you may be asked to confirm an agreement between you and the device provider in which you assume those risks.