Ottawa, ON, Canada, Sept. 29, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- With the emergence of new e-scooter rental programs in cities across the country, more than nine out of 10 Canadians believe that rider and pedestrian safety is of central importance, with new data suggesting more needs to be done to educate riders and encourage helmet use. These are the findings of a national survey conducted for Neuron Mobility by Maru/Blue examining Canadians’ perceptions on e-scooter safety and helmet use, commissioned to coincide with Neuron’s first annual Helmet Safety Awareness Week (October 1-10).
The survey found that overwhelmingly nearly all (97%) of respondents believe rider and pedestrian safety is important, while 91% believe e-scooter riders should wear helmets. When asked directly if they would wear a helmet while riding an e-scooter, the vast majority (86%) of respondents said yes. The number of respondents who would wear a helmet jumps to 95%, if legislation mandating helmet use in their city or region was in place.
More needs to be done to promote helmet use
The survey also found that the majority of Canadians believe that increased regulation, enforcement and education could boost helmet use, but that currently there is a knowledge gap: Over half (53%) of Canadians are unaware if helmet use is required by law within their city or community, suggesting the need for increased rider education.
When asked about measures they believe could help increase helmet use, the largest number stated the introduction of regulations to wear them (64%), followed by police enforcement and fines (60%), rider education (52%), e-scooter rental companies providing helmets (39%), and rider incentives (33%).
Leveraging technology and partnerships to enhance safety
Safety is Neuron’s number one priority and with international research showing that 28% of e-scooter injuries occur to the head or neck, Neuron recognizes that greater education and incentives to increase helmet use should be the responsibility of every e-scooter operator. In line with the company’s global approach, Neuron has provided helmets in Canada since its launch in Ottawa in May through the world’s first app-controlled Helmet Lock which secures a safety helmet to the e-scooter, electronically releasing it for use at the start of the ride.
Neuron recently announced a national partnership with the Traffic Injury Research Foundation (TIRF), which will lead the way in best practices for shared e-scooter programs and safety across the country. Established as a registered charity, TIRF is an independent road safety research institute that works with governments and stakeholders across Canada to make roads safer and reduce road deaths and injuries. This partnership marks an important step forward to ensure shared e-scooter programs are matched with rigorous user education, particularly as more Canadian cities adopt this new mode of transport. As part of the partnership, TIRF is collaborating with Neuron on campaigns and activities, including Helmet Safety Awareness Week, to promote rider safety in Canada.
Helmet Safety Awareness Week
To educate riders and encourage helmet use, Neuron Mobility is launching its inaugural national Helmet Safety Awareness Week on October 1, 2021. Throughout the week, there will be online and offline education activities and incentives to encourage safe riding:
- “Wear a Helmet Challenge” and Competition. Neuron will be doubling the current reward offered to Neuron e-scooter riders for submitting a ‘Helmet Selfie’ within the app. In addition, the company will be encouraging riders around the world to submit helmet selfies throughout the week as part of the “Wear a Helmet Challenge” on Instagram, with participants entered into a competition to win a grand prize of a 12-month Neuron pass for a full year of free rides.
- #ScootSafe Events. Neuron will also be holding a series of #ScootSafe events across the country, in Ottawa, Calgary, Red Deer, and Vernon. The aim of these events is to encourage increased helmet use and educate the public on safe riding. Members of the public will have the opportunity to take a Helmet Selfie with a range of fun props which can also be uploaded to Instagram as part of the ‘Wear a Helmet Challenge’, and they can earn free Neuron credits by completing a Safe Rider Quiz.
- Safety Education on the Ground. Neuron’s Safety Ambassadors will be out in greater numbers during Helmet Safety Awareness Week to help address the knowledge gap by educating riders and pedestrians alike on helmet rules in their city. Members of the public will be encouraged to take part in a Safe Rider Quiz as part of this initiative.
Zachary Wang, CEO of Neuron Mobility, said: “Safety is at the heart of everything we do at Neuron and helmets are the single most important way for riders to protect themselves. For this reason all of our e-scooters in every city we operate have an integrated helmet. Although they are not mandatory everywhere in Canada, they are strongly encouraged.”
Ankush Karwal, Regional Manager at Neuron Mobility, said: “It’s great to be launching our first ever Helmet Safety Awareness Week in Canada. As our survey shows, people want to see e-scooter operators doing more to promote safe riding and helmet use, and as a responsible operator we agree. That’s why we’ve committed up to $100,000 towards activities and incentives during Helmet Safety Awareness Week as well as redoubling our efforts on the ground to educate riders directly.”
Robyn Robertson, President and CEO, TIRF said: “We are delighted to kick off our partnership with Neuron during Helmet Safety Awareness Week. It is so important that riders are educated about road rules, including how to ride safely and responsibly as well as the importance of using a helmet when riding an e-scooter. We urge all riders to Scoot Safe and remember to wear a helmet to protect yourself when riding.”
Shane Rempel, Executive Director, Southern Alberta Brain Injury Society, said: “We are pleased to partner with Neuron Mobility to help raise awareness of the importance of helmet use. Brain Injury is a life-long condition. While we can often see improvements in quality of life for brain injury survivors, this relies heavily on support from caregivers and community services such as SABIS. A brain injury does not fully heal like other injuries, and while not 100% preventable in all cases, there are studies that show that helmets can reduce the likelihood of an acquired brain injury by over 50%. With that in mind, there really is no good reason not to wear a helmet, as a traumatic brain injury can be life-changing, not only for the survivor, but their loved ones as well.”
Erin Stuart, Manager of Inspections and Licensing for The City of Red Deer, said: “We strongly encourage our residents to wear helmets while using e-scooters on our trails and pathways. We are pleased to see Neuron Mobility introducing the new Helmet Safety Awareness Week initiative and educating riders and the general public on the importance of helmet use. That, along with other rider safety measures, such as not riding while intoxicated, riders being over 18, and only one rider on a scooter at a time ensure that all residents can enjoy e-scooters safely while having fun.”
Mayor Victor Cumming, City of Vernon, said: “We are very pleased to see the introduction of Canada’s first Helmet Safety Awareness Week initiative, which is being marked by more Scoot Safe education events in Vernon. Helmets are critical to keeping people safe and are mandatory for all e-scooter riders in Vernon for this reason. We appreciate Neuron’s continued efforts to educate riders, especially when it comes to the importance of wearing a helmet.”
Constable Chris Terleski, Media Relations Officer for the Vernon North Okanagan RCMP, said: “We are pleased to support Helmet Safety Awareness Week. It is a great proactive initiative to engage and educate the public on safe e-scooter riding. Wearing a helmet is the law in British Columbia and plays an important role in preventing injuries. We ask that everyone wear a helmet when riding an e-scooter, along with other riding rules such as no drinking and riding, no underage riding, and only one rider per e-scooter.”
Important E-scooter Safety Tips:
- Wear a helmet
- One rider per e-scooter
- Keep a safe distance from pedestrians
- Do not ride under the influence of alcohol or other substances
- Be aware and remove earphones
- Keep both hands on the handlebars
- Maintain a safe distance from other vehicles particularly when turning
- Park responsibly and don't cause an obstruction
Canadian riding rules vary by city and can be found at https://www.rideneuron.com/riding-rules/ca/.
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About Neuron Mobility
Neuron, Australia and New Zealand’s leading e-scooter operator, differentiates by being the best partner to cities while also leading the industry when it comes to safety and sustainable operations. Founded in Singapore in 2016, the company has introduced an impressive number of industry world firsts and pioneering innovations including e-scooter battery swapping, geofencing control and integrated helmets. Neuron operates in 12 locations in Australia and New Zealand including Brisbane, Darwin, Adelaide, Canberra, Townsville, Bundaberg, Auckland and Dunedin. The company also launched in the United Kingdom during 2020 and in South Korea in 2021. Neuron announced its arrival into the Canadian market in May and has since won licences to operate in Ottawa, Calgary, Red Deer and Vernon. For more information, visit: https://www.rideneuron.com
Survey Methodology
From September 13th to September 15th 2021 an online survey of 3,134 randomly selected Canadian adults who are Maru Voice Canada panelists was executed by Maru/Blue. For comparison purposes, a probability sample of this size has an estimated margin of error (which measures sampling variability) of +/- 2.5%, 19 times out of 20. The results have been weighted by education, age, gender and region to match the population, according to Census data.
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