During her first week at USC, Isabella Webster, a sophomore majoring in human biology, said she experienced several close calls with electric scooters during Welcome Week.

“I think I almost got hit three times,” Webster said.“I’m not a big fan of scooters. … I think they’re kind of dangerous to campus.”

In Fall 2025, the Department of Public Safety recorded 29 total collisions involving bicycles, scooters and skateboards on campus. Of those collisions, 27 resulted in injuries, some of which were severe, DPS Assistant Chief David Carlisle wrote in a statement to the Daily Trojan. 

Carlisle said the actual number of collisions may be higher, because DPS suspects most minor collisions are not reported. DPS did not provide a breakdown showing how many of the 29 collisions involved scooters.

Scooter-related injuries have also been documented beyond USC’s campus: An April 2022 UCLA study estimated 115 injuries per 1 million e-scooter riders by examining people who were treated for e-scooter related injuries from January 2014 to May 2020. Those injuries involved both riders and nonriders, including pedestrians who were struck by moving scooters or tripped over parked scooters. The study also found that, out of the 1,354 injured people treated at UCLA outpatient clinics, 72 patients were hospitalized and two people died from their injuries. 

Colette Keller, a sophomore majoring in business administration, said she has repeatedly encountered scooter riders traveling at unsafe speeds on her walk to campus. 

“Scooter use on campus is slightly out of hand,” Keller said. “I’ve been walking to campus many times and [have seen] scooters driving at unsafe speeds, swerving in between people.” 

According to Carlisle, students at University Park Campus take an estimated 9,000 to 15,000 personal mobility vehicle trips each day during the school year. PMVs include bicycles, skateboards and electric scooters. 

Carlisle said PMVs are a convenient mode of transportation for students to share pathways with pedestrians and other vehicles. However, he also said the number of daily trips results in “significant congestion” on campus during peak activity hours.

The USC Student Handbook requires individuals operating bicycles, motorcycles, motorized scooters and coasting devices on University property to comply with state and local laws, as well as University policies.

The California Vehicle Code defines a motorized scooter as a two-wheeled device with a floorboard or footrests, handlebars and an electric motor. Riders must have a valid driver’s license or learner’s permit, and motorized scooters cannot exceed 15 mph.  DPS strongly encourages students to obey all traffic laws to ride safely and courteously, Carlisle wrote.

Furthermore, UPC also has designated bike lanes on Trousdale Parkway in an effort to promote PMV safety; however, according to Keller, students often abandon the PMV lanes. 

“The bike and scooter lanes on campus, those just don’t get used very often,” Keller said. “Scooters are often not in the right lane or going in the right direction on campus.” 

Webster said seeing photos of scooter-related injuries during a class presentation, along with her own close encounters with scooters, has contributed to her concerns about scooter safety.

“I also had a dentist that came and presented in my class that showed us graphic photos of scooter injuries, so I’m lowkey scared of them,” Webster said. “I just think they’re dangerous to campus.”