Developing a universal sound to alert road users to e-scooters

e-scooters - Experts at UCL's Person-Environment-Activity Research Laboratory (PEARL) are working with London e-scooter operators to develop a universal sound to alert road-users of their approach. The team will work with e-scooter operators TIER, Lime and Dott, to create a sound that will help all road-users, particularly those with sight loss, hearing loss and neurodiverse conditions, to identify any rental e-scooter. After being developed and tested in London, the sound will be used in other cities around the UK and beyond. E-scooters have become a popular mode of transport in recent years. However, between June 2020 and June 2021 they were involved in 882 accidents, resulting in 931 casualties. As well as e-scooter users, pedestrians and pedal cyclists were the most likely to be injured in accidents. Half (496) of all e-scooter casualties were involved in accidents in London.