To the Editor:
Don Finefrock’s article on E-bike and Scooter incidents back in September has been stuck in my mind with the irritation and tenacity of a splinter digging under a toenail.
In it, he implies the danger posed by these micromobility devices by pointing to the nearly 1,400 incidents over two years, including the 47 ‘trauma alerts’ and 418 hospital trips (of which there were 86 head injuries).
These numbers seem scary… until they’re compared to the 41,897 car crashes that occurred in Miami-Dade in 2025 (of which 13,122 were hit-and-run crashes), resulting in 195 fatalities and 20,010 injuries.
I don’t know about you, but I think I’d rather get hit by a light electric bike going 30 mph than a F-150 (or worse) going 20; that’s just simple physics.
Suffice to say, micromobility accidents pale in comparison to the actual death toll we are willing to abide by in the name of the car industry.
Imposing speed limits and restricting movement… These slapdash solutions may reduce accidents, but do nothing to solve the underlying issue: the car-biggering arms race that puts everyone in danger.
So long as there are no SAFE roads for active transport and micromobility devices, like actual bike lanes (not the green-painted roads that a driver could casually drive over), people will choose to drive on safer sidewalks, even if they are meant for pedestrians.
After all, if one had to choose between getting squished under a lifted pickup truck or swerving around people on a sidewalk, the average Miamian will choose to put their safety in their own hands than trust in the skills of others.
Cedric Busteed
Coconut Grove
