Press & Blogs

Back

University College London to design audible alert to improve safety of e-scooters

University College London to design audible alert to improve safety of e-scooters

Experts at University College London (UCL)’s Person-Environment-Activity Research Laboratory (PEARL) are working with London e-scooter operators TIER, Lime and Dott to develop a universal sound to improve the safety of e-scooters.

It is hoped that the project will make active travel safer for those with sight loss, hearing loss and neurodiverse conditions, which is why disability experts such as Transport for All, the Thomas Pocklington Trust and the Royal National Institute of Blind People will be consulted in the development of the technology.

After initial testing at PEARL, the technology will be trialled in the London area, before rolling out to other cities around the UK and potentially ‘beyond’.

As e-scooters have become a more popular method of travel, accident statistics have reflected that safety developments are much needed. Between June 2020 and June 2021 there were involved 882 accidents involving e-scooters, resulting in 931 casualties. 

Interestingly, 50 per cent (496) of all e-scooter casualties in the UK occurred in London.

UCL PEARL Director Professor Nick Tyler said, “This is an exciting project to work on to ensure that people with a range of different capabilities can know when an e-scooter is nearby and how it is moving, enabling them to comfortably and safely move around the urban environment.”

“Through studying how the human hearing system has evolved, we can create sounds for e-scooters that are detectable without adding more noise to the environment. We plan to test a range of combinations of sounds and environments at UCL PEARL with people who are less likely to detect e-scooters nearby, so that we create a sound that works for all. It is a huge scientific challenge, but one that will enable everyone to feel comfortable with this new form of micro-mobility that is quickly growing in popularity.”

Contract hire and fleet management 

We at Marshall Leasing are always interested in the latest developments in road safety and trust that you find the above information useful. 

If you would like to find out more about our contract hire and fleet management services, please get in touch with us at info@marshall-leasing.co.uk or by calling 01480 414541. Alternatively, please complete our contact form.  

Back



Marshall Leasing is a trading division of N.I.I.B. Group Ltd a company registered in Northern Ireland under company NI3721, whose registered office is situated at 1 Donegal Square South, BELFAST, BT1 5LR. N.I.I.B. Group Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority