Audio By Carbonatix
Fifteen people have died while riding standing electric scooters in Denver since the rentable devices hit the Mile High City in 2018, and last year alone the city recorded eight rider deaths.
Seven of the eight deaths resulted from scooter collisions with motor vehicles, according to Denver Police Department reports; a total of 199 scooter-vehicle crashes were reported to Denver police in 2025. In addition to the seven fatalities, nineteen crashes resulted in serious bodily injuries.
In their comments on the Westword Facebook post of the story, readers took very different directions. Says Selina:
Well, this is the most unsurprising thing I have read today.
Offers Robert:
“Seven of the eight deaths resulted from scooter collisions with motor vehicles.” And I’m guessing those weren’t the scooters running over the cars, but the other way around. I don’t understand why Denver journalism can’t just state the obvious: Cars are the real danger. We need more protected bike/scooter infrastructure. Period.
Notes Laura:
I see so many scooter drivers completely ignoring traffic laws. They don’t look, they don’t stop when they’re supposed to, and weave in and out of traffic.
Responds Bobby:
I see so many car drivers completely ignoring traffic laws. They don’t look, they don’t stop when they’re supposed to, and weave in and out of traffic.
Observes Mary:
You can’t see these speed demon scooters till it’s too late. They don’t follow any of laws of the road and wonder why they get hit.
Replies Joe:
Over 14,000 scooter riders a day, it’s needed and popular. Westword should be more responsible with journalism. The overwhelming majority of these deaths were car vs scooter, who was at fault? People drive cars more carelessly than scooters, the crashes are more survivable. Rental scooters should be speed limited, as operators are less experienced and not wearing protective gear. Cycle vs car collisions resulted in more cyclist deaths than car drivers, limit rental scooters speed and get unnecessary cars off the roads.
Counters Marc:
“People drive cars more carelessly than scooters…”. Says who? Pedestrians on the sidewalk might disagree.
Concludes Scott:
Darwinism.
What do you think of the scooters in this city? Are riders more reckless than drivers? Or do vehicles endanger the riders? And what about those pedestrians? Post a comment or share your thoughts at editorial@westword.com.
