Fresno State Looks to Curb Scooter Accidents Through Safety Education
The Student Health Center’s efforts in promoting scooter safety have become one of the top priorities as collisions have been progressing over the past semesters at Fresno State, according to the medical director.
Robert Mitchell, the university’s medical director, said that, based on the reported accidents, there has been an average of “20 a month since school has been in.” Mitchell noticed that “the numbers [were] going up” compared to last year when the university recorded 13 accidents in less than a month between Aug. 19 and the first week of September.
1: No-wheel zone in between Fresno State's library and the Resnick Student Union [Photograph taken by Alejandra Santillan]
Mitchell linked the increase in scooter accidents to the popularity and accessibility of scooters.
With the widespread presence of scooters on campus, recent reports from Fresno State students about their walks across campus indicated that it is common to almost clash with other students riding motorized scooters, leading to some accidents.
Some accounts on how students encountered risky situations with scooter riders:
“…sometimes… I’m like pretty confused [if] they're gonna go this way or I'm gonna go this way,” said Tashman, a third-year student, about her frustrating moments of facing scooter riders on her way to classes.”
“This one time I almost crashed…I needed to brake really hard…to prevent…accidents,” said Leonard, a student who travels to class on a scooter. Leonard shared they’re more experienced in riding scooters than others and credited his quick reflexes for preventing the incident.
Siq Lali Saavedra, a Gamma Alpha Omega Sorority Inc. member, said they had been struck while passing by the Free Speech area and Resnick Student Union. Therein riders sped before reaching the no-wheel zone in front of the University Center but Saavedra did not sustain any severe injuries.
Other students may not be as fortunate as Saavedra. According to Mitchell, some of the worst injuries that have occurred from unsafe scooter riding are “broken bones, concussions,” and “loss of teeth.”
The Student Health Center has seen some of the worst accidents, many of which have occurred in parking lots and involved moving vehicles, resulting in students with neck braces, scrapes, and facial trauma. Some of the most dangerous collision areas at Fresno State are high-traffic areas, including parking lots, and wheels-off zones due to the heavy congestion.
Though a wide range of physical injuries can result from accidents, they often have a shared ending: diminished quality of student life at Fresno State.
When there's more injury sustained, more traumatic injury sustained, that can really shake up a student and their experience in campus,” said Health Communications and Promotion Specialist Alexis Ford-Duncil, who is determined to enhance scooter safety on the campus.
Mitchell and Ford-Duncil are sited at the Student Health Center, which is striving to make more students aware of how to navigate the campus safely on scooters.
Mitchell shared great faith in Ford-Duncil’s impact from her projects "improving education and awareness," ultimately leading students to "adopt some of [their] suggestions,” which are to:
Wear helmets and closed-toed shoes.
Be mindful of other vehicles and pedestrians.
Regulate speeding.
Dismount at crosswalks and left-hand turns.
Use scooters properly – don’t hang items on the steer handles or have more than one occupant riding the scooter.
2: Robert Mitchell, MD [Photograph], Student Health and Counseling Center
3: Alexis Ford-Duncil [Photograph], Student Health and Counseling Center
As the Student Health Center amplifies its scooter safety campaigns, the hope is to cultivate a culture of caution and ultimately reduce accidents.
“All we can hope for is that students start…seeing the impact of scooter safety or overall safety on campus, and just take the right steps to making a safer campus community,” said Ford-Duncil.
The Student Health Center is located at 5044 N. Barton Avenue, M/S HC 81, Fresno, CA 93740. They offer student medical services and counseling from Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
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