charmed
09-03-2002, 09:34 AM
From the Toledo Blade
Article published August 1, 2002
Scooter runs into questions of safety
By JOE MAHR
BLADE STAFF WRITER
Within a year, anyone with several thousand dollars
to spend could be tooling down the sidewalk on a
high-tech Segway scooter, and that makes Dr.
Gary Smith nervous.
Dr. Smith leads the Center for Injury Research and
Policy at Columbus Children’s Hospital, and he is
among a growing number of safety advocates
across the country who fear the 69-pound devices
could hurt pedestrians - something he said state
lawmakers across the country have ignored in their
rush to pass laws to permit the devices.
"We have no data - none, zero - regarding its safety performance," Dr. Smith said. "It’s
almost as if they’ve been hypnotized by the technology and that’s deflected the discussion
from the safety concerns."
The concern has grown as the device’s inventor - Dean Kamen of New Hampshire - tries to
persuade Congress and state legislatures across the country to allow the Segway Human
Transporter on sidewalks.
Already, Ohio and Michigan are among 31 states that have passed laws allowing them on
sidewalks. Congress must decide whether to do the same for sidewalks built with federal
funds.
Toledo is set to get the devices soon. No details have been worked out, but the Toledo-
Lucas County Port Authority expects in a month to lease 20 of the devices for a 60-day trial
period at a cost of $25,000. The devices could go to Toledo police, BAX Global, and the Toledo Zoo.
Segway backers insist that the concern over safety, while well-intentioned, is misguided for
a product that redefines motion and control.
The battery-powered machines do not have throttles or brakes. Instead, they use five
gyroscopes and two tilt sensors to gauge the user’s center of gravity 100 times a second.
Step up on the platform and grab the handlebar. Lean forward and it goes. Lean backward
and it stops. Twist the handlebar and it turns.
Segway scooters can go as fast as 15 mph - about five times as fast as the usual walker -
but the top speed can be lowered at the factory. Industrial users - such as warehouses and
factories - now can go only 12.5 mph, and the off-the-shelf version may be programmed to
go slower, said Matt Dailida, the company’s manager of state government affairs.
Despite its speed, it can stop quickly, he said.
Company sales representatives often dare riders to try to run into them, as they did at a
demonstration in Toledo in June. Because the rider’s natural inclination is to lean away from
danger - even if it’s a split-second away - that lean backward is enough to dramatically lower
the force or eliminate the collision, he said.
"If you’re walking down the sidewalk or running down the sidewalk, you shift your weight [to
avoid obstacles]," he said. "People have that same instinct on the Segway."
Segway counts among its supporters Dr. Peter Somani, Ohio’s health director from 1992 to
1997. He has said he purposely tried to run into a Segway volunteer while testing one of the
scooters. The result: no injury to either himself or the volunteer.
But Dr. Smith is not so sure of the safety, and he is not alone.
The American Academy of Pediatrics, of which Dr. Smith is an active member, has raised
concerns about Segways on sidewalks. So have consumer-interest groups such as
Consumers Union, the Public Interest Research Group, and Consumer Federation of
America, as well as the pedestrian-advocacy group America Walks.
"Nothing that goes faster than walking belongs in the space that’s intended for walking," said
America Walks’ president, Ellen Vanderslice, of Portland, Ore.
Opponents argue that the latest technology cannot replace the laws of physics. If a child
darts in front of a fast-moving Segway or a senior citizen cannot get out of the way fast
enough, they would have to absorb both the weight and force of the scooter and the user.
Even if the device stops quickly and avoids the child or senior citizen, the user will be flung
off, perhaps into the pedestrian, they argue.
Either way, Dr. Smith said the result could be "serious injury."
"I hope I’m wrong," he said. "But my fear is that, based on what we know about motor
vehicles and the laws of physics, we could have a lot of trouble."
So far, there has been one recorded Segway-related injury that required a trip to the
hospital. In Atlanta - one of more than a dozen pilot cities testing the device - a tourism
officer fell off one and hurt his knee while negotiating a driveway.
Segway LLC is selling the scooter to businesses and government agencies across the
country for as little as $5,000, depending on the model. Segway does not plan to sell
consumer models until early next year, at a price likely between $3,000 and $5,000.
Despite the brewing national debate, local safety advocates said they have not thought
much about the issue, considering the product is not even on the market yet. But, they said
the concerns expressed by their national counterparts have merit.
"Do I think the statistical number [of accidents] will be outrageous? No," said Lori Ferguson,
who coordinates Greater Toledo SAFE KIDS Coalition. "But I think it only takes one child
getting hurt, and one child is too many, especially if it’s your child."
Article published August 1, 2002
Scooter runs into questions of safety
By JOE MAHR
BLADE STAFF WRITER
Within a year, anyone with several thousand dollars
to spend could be tooling down the sidewalk on a
high-tech Segway scooter, and that makes Dr.
Gary Smith nervous.
Dr. Smith leads the Center for Injury Research and
Policy at Columbus Children’s Hospital, and he is
among a growing number of safety advocates
across the country who fear the 69-pound devices
could hurt pedestrians - something he said state
lawmakers across the country have ignored in their
rush to pass laws to permit the devices.
"We have no data - none, zero - regarding its safety performance," Dr. Smith said. "It’s
almost as if they’ve been hypnotized by the technology and that’s deflected the discussion
from the safety concerns."
The concern has grown as the device’s inventor - Dean Kamen of New Hampshire - tries to
persuade Congress and state legislatures across the country to allow the Segway Human
Transporter on sidewalks.
Already, Ohio and Michigan are among 31 states that have passed laws allowing them on
sidewalks. Congress must decide whether to do the same for sidewalks built with federal
funds.
Toledo is set to get the devices soon. No details have been worked out, but the Toledo-
Lucas County Port Authority expects in a month to lease 20 of the devices for a 60-day trial
period at a cost of $25,000. The devices could go to Toledo police, BAX Global, and the Toledo Zoo.
Segway backers insist that the concern over safety, while well-intentioned, is misguided for
a product that redefines motion and control.
The battery-powered machines do not have throttles or brakes. Instead, they use five
gyroscopes and two tilt sensors to gauge the user’s center of gravity 100 times a second.
Step up on the platform and grab the handlebar. Lean forward and it goes. Lean backward
and it stops. Twist the handlebar and it turns.
Segway scooters can go as fast as 15 mph - about five times as fast as the usual walker -
but the top speed can be lowered at the factory. Industrial users - such as warehouses and
factories - now can go only 12.5 mph, and the off-the-shelf version may be programmed to
go slower, said Matt Dailida, the company’s manager of state government affairs.
Despite its speed, it can stop quickly, he said.
Company sales representatives often dare riders to try to run into them, as they did at a
demonstration in Toledo in June. Because the rider’s natural inclination is to lean away from
danger - even if it’s a split-second away - that lean backward is enough to dramatically lower
the force or eliminate the collision, he said.
"If you’re walking down the sidewalk or running down the sidewalk, you shift your weight [to
avoid obstacles]," he said. "People have that same instinct on the Segway."
Segway counts among its supporters Dr. Peter Somani, Ohio’s health director from 1992 to
1997. He has said he purposely tried to run into a Segway volunteer while testing one of the
scooters. The result: no injury to either himself or the volunteer.
But Dr. Smith is not so sure of the safety, and he is not alone.
The American Academy of Pediatrics, of which Dr. Smith is an active member, has raised
concerns about Segways on sidewalks. So have consumer-interest groups such as
Consumers Union, the Public Interest Research Group, and Consumer Federation of
America, as well as the pedestrian-advocacy group America Walks.
"Nothing that goes faster than walking belongs in the space that’s intended for walking," said
America Walks’ president, Ellen Vanderslice, of Portland, Ore.
Opponents argue that the latest technology cannot replace the laws of physics. If a child
darts in front of a fast-moving Segway or a senior citizen cannot get out of the way fast
enough, they would have to absorb both the weight and force of the scooter and the user.
Even if the device stops quickly and avoids the child or senior citizen, the user will be flung
off, perhaps into the pedestrian, they argue.
Either way, Dr. Smith said the result could be "serious injury."
"I hope I’m wrong," he said. "But my fear is that, based on what we know about motor
vehicles and the laws of physics, we could have a lot of trouble."
So far, there has been one recorded Segway-related injury that required a trip to the
hospital. In Atlanta - one of more than a dozen pilot cities testing the device - a tourism
officer fell off one and hurt his knee while negotiating a driveway.
Segway LLC is selling the scooter to businesses and government agencies across the
country for as little as $5,000, depending on the model. Segway does not plan to sell
consumer models until early next year, at a price likely between $3,000 and $5,000.
Despite the brewing national debate, local safety advocates said they have not thought
much about the issue, considering the product is not even on the market yet. But, they said
the concerns expressed by their national counterparts have merit.
"Do I think the statistical number [of accidents] will be outrageous? No," said Lori Ferguson,
who coordinates Greater Toledo SAFE KIDS Coalition. "But I think it only takes one child
getting hurt, and one child is too many, especially if it’s your child."