DC Police crack down on unsafe e-scooter, e-bike riding

Tonight, a new push to crack down on dangerous e-scooter and e-bike riding in the district. D.C. Police launching the new effort to help cut down on the rise of crashes. Fox 5's Tisha Lewis is Northwest tonight. Well, this is the flyer that they're handing out to folks, and we're told that this outreach will continue throughout the rest of the year. D.C. Police saying that they are focusing on outreach and street safety concerning e-bikes and e-scooters across the district, especially those heavily congested areas, including right here in Chinatown. This year we've seen a 62% increase in traffic fatalities across the district. So one of the things we want to do for the remainder of the year is do increased education across the area. And one of the areas that we've seen increased injuries and fatalities from are the e-scooters and the e-bicycles that we have out here today. There you go, D.C. Police here at the intersection of 7th and 8th Streets Northwest, handing out traffic safety flyers addressing what you should know about riding e-bicycles and e-scooters in D.C. Police say they plan to engage directly with residents and tourists targeting unsafe behaviors, including not wearing a helmet. In fact, juveniles are required by law to wear a helmet while riding e-bikes and e-scooters, and adults are strongly encouraged to do so. Interim Police Chief Jeffrey Carroll says the push for e-scooter and e-bike safety is a district-wide initiative with increased efforts in areas that have a high concentration of the e-scooters and e-bikes, including the U Street corridor, Navy Yard, and right here at Gallery Place Chinatown. This all comes a week after Talib Shakir, who was the director of the mayor's office of returning citizen affairs, was killed after two electric scooters collided with each other, including his. E-bikes and e-scooters go much faster than regular foot-powered scooters and bicycles. So with that, you need to wear helmets to be safe. You need to follow the rules of the roadway. What that means is if there's a red light, stop. If there's other vehicles coming, yield to those vehicles. If there's a stop sign, make sure you stop. It keeps not only you safe, it keeps pedestrians safe and other roadway users, including drivers, safe as well. You don't have a helmet on, but what do you do to make sure you're safe? I guess just watch out for traffic and people. Yeah, and go slow when there's a lot of people around. Meanwhile, police are encouraging riders to go with the flow of traffic and follow posted signs. Plus, refrain from riding on the sidewalks in these central business districts, including right here in Chinatown. Also, we did learn some new concerning data. There have been four fatalities so far involving e-bikes, two fatalities regarding stand-up scooters, and three fatalities involving mopeds.