14 ACC claims just eight days after E-scooters land in NZ

From left, Matt McNeill, Mayank Mittal and Hank Rowe trying out the new Lime e-scooters that were launched on October 15. Photo / Jason Oxenham

Just eight days after e-scooters were launched in New Zealand, 14 riders have lodged ACC claims.

Nine of those claims have come from users in Auckland with the rest in Christchurch.

ACC says the data was not sufficiently large enough to indicate patterns of severity of the injuries from e-scooters.

The figures come as road safety advocates warn people are going to die due to the lax laws around their operation.

"Someone is going to die if we don't see changes," workplace safety campaigner and early-stage investment fund manager Lance Wiggs told the Herald earlier today.

Veteran motoring writer Clive Matthew-Wilson added: "I predict multiple injuries and probable deaths in the near future".

"E-scooter riders are allowed to ride without helmets and share the footpath with vulnerable pedestrians, such as old people and young children. Inevitably there are going to be horrific collisions."

Here, there has been a crash on Auckland's Tamaki Dr, requiring an X-ray after cuts and bruises were suffered. ACC says it has fielded a string of e-scooter related claims.

An ACC spokesperson today said wearing a helmet, limiting speed and keeping to road rules were standard mechanics for keeping safe.

"The challenge however from a safety perspective with e-scooters is how people use them, mostly for short incidental trips rather than a planned scooter ride they'd have prepared for."

The spokesperson said they expected most injuries would be handled by hospital A & E departments, with sprains and contusions being most common.

More facial or brain injuries - dental and concussions - would need support from ACC.

Matthew-Wilson said he was "shocked" the government allowed e-scooters to be used without much thought for the consequences.

"These scooters are capable of 25km/h, which is fast enough to kill a pedestrian in a collision. It's also fast enough to kill the person riding the scooter. It staggers me that helmets are not required."

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 per hour, it is up to the rider to deem what speed is reasonable based off of their surroundings.

"Lime urges riders to practice safe riding by wearing helmets both through notifications on the app and on the actual scooter. In order to unlock a Lime scooter for the first time, all riders must first complete in-app tutorials that provide guidelines on helmet safety."