Revels moped new safety improvements
NEW YORK, NY – According to an online news report on cbslocal.com, Revel, a moped-sharing company, submitted its plan the make their services safer to city officials. According to the news report, Mayor Bill de Blasio has received the proposed safety guidelines and improvements to determine if the company may resume its New York City operations. Revel’s service became somewhat controversial following three fatal accidents that occurred in New York City within a period of only two weeks.
The company stated that its new policies and guidelines have already been implemented in several other metropolitan areas. The question at hand is, “Are these changes going to word?”
One of the major problems that the company must solve is the issue of unsafe and illegal operation of their mopeds. It is reported that all major boroughs, with the exception of Staten Island, had problems with lawless moped operation such as driving in parks, riding on sidewalks, not wearing helmets, running red lights, and driving on highways.
According to the NYPD, Revel mopeds accounted for 2.5% of all motorcycle accidents so far in 2020. Police officers and the St. Barnabas Hospital reported that the accidents and injuries were primarily caused by motorists not wearing motorcycle helmets and renters not understanding how to operate their mopeds.
Some of the moped riders quoted in the article believe that they stopped renting the mopeds because they didn’t feel safe operating them. One Revel customer complained that the mopeds were never repaired and were rented in damaged condition. The same Revel customer asserted that he felt the moped-sharing company was more concerned with the company’s safety and not their customers’ safety.
Another grave concern is that many moped users do not have a New York motorcycle driver’s license. If the moped operators don’t have a motorcycle license, they probably lack the proper safety training required to obtain a New York motorcycle license. Revel stated that their company had addressed the issue of operator training and safety. For example, the company now requires renters to finish a 20-minute, mandatory in-app training, and subsequent test. The other new safety improvement requires renters to snap a selfie photo showing that they are wearing a motorcycle helmet. The moped will not operate until the renter’s selfie has been submitted through their mobile app.
The news report does not provide a date in which Revel will be able to return to New York City streets if their safety improvement plan is approved.
