Officials to study scooter crashes in Austin

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Officials in Austin are working with the Atlanta-based U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to study how to prevent dockless scooter crashes and patterns tied to the crashes.

The Austin American-Statesman reports the effort is the country's first study conducted on the topic.

Dr. Philip Huang with Austin Public Health says CDC epidemiologists will give questionnaires to people injured by scooter crashes in a search for trends tied to the severity of the injuries. The CDC officials are expected to focus on dozens of scooter injures and EMS calls that were reported within a 60-day period that started in September.

A City Council vote on new rules for the scooters is expected after the safety study is completed.