Neuron celebrates road safety week with other organisations aimed at making Newcastle's scooters safer for everyone

Safety-leading e-scooter operator Neuron Mobility is marking this year’s Global Road Safety Week by launching a new campaign to highlight the impacts irresponsible e-scooter riding can have on different members of our communities.

Partnering with the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) and leading sight loss charities, the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) and the Thomas Pocklington Trust (TPT), the campaign explores community perspectives around e-scooter use and highlights how responsible use of e-scooters.

Neuron has worked closely with safety and disability charities such as RoSPA, RNIB and TPT since launching in Newcastle in February 2021 to understand the concerns and impacts e-scooters can have on these communities and work collaboratively on developing solutions to solve these challenges as micromobility grows in popularity.

To support this campaign Neuron and RoSPA in consultation with the other charities have created a range of rider education materials and parking guidelines to help raise awareness of these issues and give riders the tools to be safer and more responsible.

Part of this includes a series of light-hearted videos, albeit with serious messages. The videos will be promoted via a paid social media campaign to encourage viewers to be mindful of their surroundings and considerate of pedestrians. By watching these videos, participants can take part in Neuron’s social media competition and stand a chance to win free rides.

Guidance on safe riding and responsible parking will also be given directly to the public in Newcastle during the week at a ScootSafe event being held on Friday 20 May in the city centre (Grainger Street, near Grey’s Monument).

Members of the public will have the opportunity to complete a specialised course co-created by Neuron, RNIB and RoSPA, giving participants first-hand experience on what it is like to navigate pavements with toppled e-scooters on a wheelchair or with vision loss.

As a further encouragement to park responsibly, Neuron is giving away more rewards including increasing the incentives offered to riders for ending their trip in one of the Preferred Parking Zones highlighted in the Neuron app.

George Symes, Neuron’s head of public policy, said: “We’re delighted to be working with our Safety Partner RoSPA, as well the UK’s leading sight loss charities the RNIB and TPT, to highlight the different perspectives towards e-scooters. The collective aim is to remind our riders to travel responsibly and to park safely so we can help keep the entire community safe.

“We will continue to collaborate and engage with them and other disability and accessibility groups as we grow in the UK. We are focused on doing everything we can to integrate e-scooters into our communities in the best and safest possible way.”