Use of electric scooters is exploding in North Carolina but if you get into an accident using one – who pays?
If you are a pedestrian and you get struck by an automobile— the North Carolina Department of Insurance says your auto insurance policy will cover you if you have optional medical coverage.
But, if you are using an electric scooter, you’re not covered because they are a hybrid vehicle which is currently undefined in North Carolina.
Cruising around at a top speed of 15 mph, users find these electric scooters a great convenience.
“I was just trying to get across town pretty quick and wanted to hop on it,” said Matt Lively.
For others, the electric scooter is a regular part of their routine now.
“I use Bird scooters multiple times a day,” said Amy Hoffman. “It’s a convenient and fun way to travel around the city.”
But there’s a dark side to electric scooter use.
“You need to be concerned about liability,” said Chief Deputy North Carolina Insurance Commissioner Michelle Osborne.
Before you rent a scooter, you want to read the rental agreement.
For example, Bird’s says, “your auto insurance policy may not provide coverage for accidents.”
Several scooter users CBS 17 spoke with were unaware of insurance issues – including Hoffman.
“I’d rather go and have fun and I choose not to fill my mind up with those concerns,” she said.
As it turns out, there’s no insurance policy that will cover you on an electric scooter unless you have a specific rider known as an umbrella policy.
“When you exceed liability limits on your homeowners or auto policy the umbrella policy will cover it in excess policy,” said Osborne.
And she says most people don’t have umbrella policies or even know about them.
Because electric scooters are not a classified as moped, bike, motorcycle or vehicle there’s no laws in North Carolina that cover them.
CBS 17 wanted to know if the state or local municipalities should regulate electric scooters.
“That’s best left to legislators to answer,” said Osborne. “But, someone needs to make sure there’s some kind of regulation on it.”
The City of Raleigh is in the process of drafting regulations for electronic scooters.
Right now, San Francisco is the only city in the country that requires insurance for electric scooters.
