The unprecedented growth of micromobility around the world has given rise to one critically important question: as we embrace more efficient modes of transportation, how do we ensure the safety of both riders and the general public?

The answer is every bit as layered and complex as you might expect. That’s why Lime, the global leader in e-scooter sharing, hosted the industry’s first Education and Safety Summit in San Francisco last week.

Together with policymakers, academics, transportation practitioners, advocates, law enforcement personnel and community leaders, the team at Lime spent the day-long session discussing ways to help improve product and operational safety, promote industry best practices and set a new standard for safe, multi-modal streets.

“It’s encouraging to see such a diverse group of stakeholders come together to look for solutions to these very nuanced problems,” said David Spielfogel, Lime’s Chief Policy Officer. “Cities are going through massive change as we move away from automobile use and embrace affordable, more sustainable and safer forms of transportation, and Lime is committed to being a responsible leader in this space globally.”

Key takeaways from the summit centered around a handful of needs, including enhancements in vehicle hardware and design, more practical legislation that levels the playing field between micromobility and cars, and meaningful investments in protected infrastructure that account for the significant number of injuries and deaths caused by cars when they interact with pedestrians, bikers and users of micromobility.

During the Summit, Lime announced members of a new Global Public Policy and Safety Advisory Board – all of whom were part of a plenary panel discussion. Comprised of experts from across a variety of safety, academic, transportation and environmental fields, the Advisory Board includes:

• Inez Tenenbaum, Former Chairman, U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
• Kathleen O'Toole, Former Police Chief, City of Seattle - Police Department
• Carol Browner, Former Director of the White House Office of Energy and Climate Change Policy and former Administrator, U.S. EPA
• Charles Brown, Senior Transportation Researcher and Adjunct University Professor

Lime will be expanding the advisory board to include members from Europe, and has announced plans to hold another Safety Summit in the region later this year.

Lime’s Education and Safety Summit is the latest in a host of initiatives designed to promote responsible ridership throughout the e-scooter community. First Ride Academies, like ones recently held in Los Angeles and Chicago, have become a counterpart to the company’s successful Respect The Ride campaign.

To learn more about future Lime events like the Safety and Education Summit, subscribe to 2nd Street, or download the app to take an electric scooter ride today.