Incredibly bad look for this community.

[Sumako]

43 minutes ago, mike_bike_kite said:

Roller blades don't weigh over 30 Kg (66 lbs) and travel at 40mph. 

Here in the UK we have a simple choice of either "hoping" to be able to pay insurance or getting stopped by the police. Getting stopped by the police means having your wheel confiscated, a substantial fine and points on your driving license. If you get stopped twice then you could loose your driving license all together.

Even in the USA it's unclear what would happen if you injured a pedestrian. Would you pay for their medical bills? and how would you pay? or would you just run away? Also, how would you stand legally? would the police see it as just a bicycle or a motorised vehicle without insurance?

That’s right, rollerblades don’t weight 40+lbs, but a rollerblader can travel as fast as 35mph. In any state in the USA regulations are in place. Electric Micro Mobility vehicles are only allowed to go as fast as 25mph. That 40mph you find in a Sherman is really meant to give you ceiling room and help you maintain more range. You were never meant to go 40mph. But you can, at the cost of your range. 

What happens if you hit a pedestrian? I don’t know. But cyclists and rollerbladers have hit pedestrians multiple times. The world goes on. The key concept we should ALL be having a hard time with is anything that becomes mandatory. 

If being properly insured is that important to you (and you’re in the states) check out https://www.facebook.com/pacificsideinsurance . My buddy, Jersey, has insurance for OneWheel, ESkates, EBikes, EScooters, and EUCs. See if what he has is the right option for you. 

The UK? Oh so maybe my buddy can’t help you (but could help an American reading this). The UK has an entirely different problem. It’s called corporate fascism. That’s when companies like Lime and Bird get a special deal with the local government, asking said government to make laws that state the only PEVs citizens may have access to are those Lime rents out. That is pretty horrific. Imagine what other companies get those kinds of special rights. Those of you in the UK need to get to moving on a new revolution. 

[Sumako]

2 hours ago, CarlW said:

 You should be more than capable of presenting your point of view without derogatory statements towards others.           

Asking for laws that force other EUC riders to go to the  DMV and pay for registration on their EUC, plus buy mandatory liability insurance, and pay more taxes on their EUC, every year is DUMB, STUPID. To suggest such legislation is DISCONNECTED, as in TONE DEAF to the complete dynamics of the entire community’s diverse economic backgrounds as well as being lost on the fact that EUC’s are in no way on the same level as a car or MotorCycle. If you think your EUC is a motorcycle of some sort, you’re living in fantasy land.  

[mike_bike_kite]

You didn't answer the bit about "... what would happen if you injured a pedestrian. Would you pay for their medical bills? and how would you pay? or would you just run away? Also, how would you stand legally? would the police see it as just a bicycle or a motorised vehicle without insurance?". I think that part is quite important. I'm guessing you're in the "run away" part.

[Sumako]

@CarlW EUC status *researching purchase* Wait!!! Carl, did you forget to update your EUC status? Because I know you wouldn’t be responding to any of this discussion unless you were riding. What wheel do you ride?

[Sumako]

 

8 minutes ago, mike_bike_kite said:

You didn't answer the bit about "... what would happen if you injured a pedestrian. Would you pay for their medical bills? and how would you pay? or would you just run away? Also, how would you stand legally? would the police see it as just a bicycle or a motorised vehicle without insurance?". I think that part is quite important. I'm guessing you're in the "run away" part.

Here. Read the part of my OP you missed:

20 minutes ago, Sumako said:

What happens if you hit a pedestrian? I don’t know. But cyclists and rollerbladers have hit pedestrians multiple times. The world goes on. The key concept we should ALL be having a hard time with is anything that becomes mandatory. 

 

And NO, no one just runs away. Cyclists and RollerBladers have not. Again, happens all of the time. Police and ambulances show up. Been happening for years and it gets figured out with out special insurance and regulations for Rollerblades, bicycles and even REAL Unicycles. 

[mike_bike_kite]

6 minutes ago, Sumako said:

And NO, no one just runs away. Cyclists and RollerBladers have not. Again, happens all of the time. Police and ambulances show up. Been happening for years and it gets figured out with out special insurance and regulations for Rollerblades, bicycles and even REAL Unicycles. 

So roller blades, bicycles and unicycles are covered by a "special insurance" but you don't mention what happens with an EUC. The laws are obviously different in different countries and probably different in different states in the US but here in the UK we need insurance to be legal on the roads. I suspect many of us here in the UK would also be happy to pay it if it was available. We simply want insurance to be legal. The same thing may well be true across many parts of Europe as well. Paying for insurance might be DUMB to you but if it saves me from loosing my wheel and my driving license then I think it's fairly SENSIBLE.

[Chriull]

1 hour ago, Sumako said:

@CarlW EUC status *researching purchase* Wait!!! Carl, did you forget to update your EUC status? Because I know you wouldn’t be responding to any of this discussion unless you were riding. What wheel do you ride?

Rinding an EUC is no necessary condition to be allowed to post here. 

Beeing interested in EUC'd could help posting here, but is not really necessary, too.

If you feel this has to be changed please propose your changes to the moderators team.

So as long as the rules are not changed @CarlW is heartly welcome to post his opinion here! As no member is entitled to stop any other member from posting here.

Edited July 5, 2021 by Chriull

[Sumako]

40 minutes ago, mike_bike_kite said:

So roller blades, bicycles and unicycles are covered by a "special insurance" but you don't mention what happens with an EUC. The laws are obviously different in different countries and probably different in different states in the US but here in the UK we need insurance to be legal on the roads. I suspect many of us here in the UK would also be happy to pay it if it was available. We simply want insurance to be legal. The same thing may well be true across many parts of Europe as well. Paying for insurance might be DUMB to you but if it saves me from loosing my wheel and my driving license then I think it's fairly SENSIBLE.

OMG! The whole point is, we have been dealing with this issue of people getting hit by cyclists and skaters for ever and a day and there has NEVER been insurance for any of these cases. Y’all in the UK have free healthcare/socialized medicine. I can’t imagine why any of you need insurance for your PEVs in the first place if medicine and healthcare is covered in the first place. But I digress. 

What has the UK done when a cyclist or skater accidentally hit a pedestrian? 

[Sumako]

7 minutes ago, Chriull said:

Rinding an EUC is no necessary condition to be allowed to post here. 

Beeing interested in EUC'd could help posting here, but is not really necessary, too.

If you feel this has to be changed please propose your changes to the moderators team.

So as long as the rules are not changed @CarlW is heartly welcome to post his opinion here! As no member is entitled to stop any other member from posting here.

Yea, you missed the context of my post. In order to understand what is going on in this discussion, it really helps if you have actually ride an EUC. It’s like I don’t fly planes but I’m posting in a discussion about complicated issues regarding flying a solo sports plane. Ya can’t add much complicated discussions unless you have experience. See what I am saying? 

But we have not even established if @CarlWjust forgot to update his status or not. That’s all.

[yoos]

12 minutes ago, Sumako said:

But we have not even established if @CarlWjust forgot to update his status or not. That’s all.

Sorry, but this looked like you simply attacked @CarlW instead of attacking his arguments. If you really cared, you could check CarlWs profile and see his latest message -- his 16X is underway.

Back on topic: an optional insurance would surely please all parties. Being so niche, I am afraid many countries have no EUC insurance options at all. Moreover, even if you have an EUC (or umbrella) coverage, you could be still in danger zone since your EUC driving (as a whole or your particular actions before an accident) could be considered illegal so that you would be exempt from coverage in the end. I found there is a particular insurance in Russia that includes eucs segways etc, but I did not check out all details. 

Generally speaking, I would still seek out insurance even before it may become mandatory. It's a protection layer just like a helmet: it might be irritating most of the time but it removes some of the most catastrophic (even if unlikely) scenarios from your risk sheet. Insurances are a great concept overall .

It would also do a service to the community image: an insured rider would be motivated to stay at the scene after an accident and generally behave like an accountable and legitimate member of society.

[Unventor]

1 hour ago, Sumako said:

That’s right, rollerblades don’t weight 40+lbs, but a rollerblader can travel as fast as 35mph. In any state in the USA regulations are in place. Electric Micro Mobility vehicles are only allowed to go as fast as 25mph. That 40mph you find in a Sherman is  really meant to give you ceiling room and help you maintain more range. You were never meant to go 40mph. But you can, at the cost of your range. 

So what you are saying you "need" the wheel to ride at 40mph for headroom? So ytou would be fine with a technical limit at 25mph Even if you wheel could do a lot more. Because it is how your areas law is right?

1 hour ago, Sumako said:

Asking for laws that force other EUC riders to go to the  DMV and pay for registration on their EUC, plus buy mandatory liability insurance, and pay more taxes on their EUC, every year is DUMB, STUPID. To suggest such legislation is DISCONNECTED, as in TONE DEAF to the complete dynamics of the entire community’s diverse economic backgrounds as well as being lost on the fact that EUC’s are in no way on the same level as a car or MotorCycle. If you think your EUC is a motorcycle of some sort, you’re living in fantasy land.  

So what your are saying that people much prove they understand the consequences of what riding a motor powered vehicle is disconnected and tone deaf?

And in case you accidentally injuries some one or their property then it matters less if they can cover the cost to you? Know what little I know the US this can get very expensive.

Now the point I am trying to make here is there is a huge difference to be on ones our yard/ranch or in public traffic or downtown crowded traffic. But as soon you are out in traffic it is normal that you have rules and laws to obey by. They serve multi purposes. To protect anyone in the traffic area from others put you at risk. Also to make sure that traffic flows in a predictable way for every one, means you and your surrounding can make same predictions. Now traffic are divided into different categories, so they can travel together and those that don't belong together get separated.

So to be clear this is from this point on to everyone here.

Now when some make shown extremely poor judgement of how to behave in a public space like traffic it put others at risk. But when a micro community starts defending this that is when you very soon will see legislation will kick in. Even in the land of the free (or US)  Laws are made to protect people from others doing bad things to them. 

I just wish that we as EUC riders as a community here showcase thee great part of what EUC offers us and part of that is using them in traffic as a serious mean to transport us. I don't think disregard to your surroundings and people that do not share you interests should fear you if your are part of traffic. Some ride these as a sport, fine so be it, but race/sport is not imo in traffic. We don't see indy 500 or formula 1 races in public traffic for good reason. Now some races are hold in traffic area but they are coordinated with authorities and even on enclosed areas temporary.If you decide to ride as a sport do it in a way that don't hurt others and the public view on our transport. I actually think races or skill test link this is very fun entertainment. 

There is a huge difference to this video and people sharing "cool reckless riding" we see showcase on FB and some people YT channel to get more view and share and links. As a viewer I think you should consider what you chose to view and share. 

And this is what I also think most of us can agree upon. 

[Gasmantle]

1 hour ago, Sumako said:

 I can’t imagine why any of you need insurance for your PEVs in the first place if medicine and healthcare is covered in the first place. 

Has it never occurred to you that vehicle insurance covers more than just injury costs? 

We pay insurance to cover property / vehicle damage, loss of earnings due to injury, compensation claims, court costs etc.

 

[Chriull]

1 hour ago, Sumako said:

SeeYea, you missed the context of my post. In order to understand what is going on in this discussion, it really helps if you have actually ride an EUC. It’s like I don’t fly planes but I’m posting in a discussion about complicated issues regarding flying a solo sports plane. Ya can’t add much complicated discussions unless you have experience. See what I am saying? 

This topic is about human behaviour and possible consequences and no rocket sience.

There is no reason why anyone not riding an EUC should not respond.

Even in high tech/experience/guru/whatever stuff newbes are welcome to chime in (on topic) - as written we have no entry condition here. 

1 hour ago, Sumako said:

But we have not even established if @CarlWjust forgot to update his status or not. That’s all.

Great exampe - @CarlW's post is, especially compared to this question on topic and relevant!

[PLEASE_DELETE]

1 hour ago, yoos said:

Sorry, but this looked like you simply attacked @CarlW instead of attacking his arguments. If you really cared, you could check CarlWs profile and see his latest message -- his 16X is underway.

Back on topic: an optional insurance would surely please all parties. Being so niche, I am afraid many countries have no EUC insurance options at all. Moreover, even if you have an EUC (or umbrella) coverage, you could be still in danger zone since your EUC driving (as a whole or your particular actions before an accident) could be considered illegal so that you would be exempt from coverage in the end. I found there is a particular insurance in Russia that includes eucs segways etc, but I did not check out all details. 

Generally speaking, I would still seek out insurance even before it may become mandatory. It's a protection layer just like a helmet: it might be irritating most of the time but it removes some of the most catastrophic (even if unlikely) scenarios from your risk sheet. Insurances are a great concept overall .

It would also do a service to the community image: an insured rider would be motivated to stay at the scene after an accident and generally behave like an accountable and legitimate member of society.

I see where you are coming from on the umbrella, but my insurer specifically mentions slander/libel as covered & those are illegal...It's supposed to be a catchall.  

[yoos]

5 minutes ago, /Dev/Null said:

slander/libel as covered

Perhaps, only unintentional slander and libel are?  Anyway, really nice umbrella you have!

[mike_bike_kite]

15 minutes ago, Sumako said:

OMG! The whole point is, we have been dealing with this issue of people getting hit by cyclists and skaters for ever and a day and there has NEVER been insurance for any of these cases. Y’all in the UK have free healthcare/socialized medicine. I can’t imagine why any of you need insurance for your PEVs in the first place if medicine and healthcare is covered in the first place. But I digress. 

What has the UK done when a cyclist or skater accidentally hit a pedestrian? 

Here in the UK most cyclists can be covered by their home insurance (through third party liability). If they are a part of a cycling organisation such as Cycling UK or British Cycling then they're also covered that way. Separate insurance is also available elsewhere just for cyclists. But, at the end of the day, cyclists don't actually need insurance to be on the roads in the UK but motorised vehicles do. An EUC is a motorised vehicle. That means we're risking fines, confiscation of the wheel and loosing half our drivers license each time we're caught. The last part is a huge risk for me personally as I still have a clean license after 40 years.

We don't really get skate boarders or roller skaters on the roads in the UK. There was a recent case of a bicyclist killing a pedestrian after going through red a light and he was jailed for 18 months. I thought they were lucky to get off so lightly.

[conecones]

I'm all for a (free/government subsidized) licensing/exam requirement for any "vehicle" that is used on the public roads, motorized or not. It's too late to enforce this on pedal bikes, but it should be done for all PEV. Reason is not so much for a pathway to insurance, but rather it gives authorities the much needed leverage to punish the reckless riders, while accepting the law-abiding ones. 

These reckless riders can no longer plead ignorance (since they passed the exam), so they can be hit with careless driving/reckless driving, the latter which is a criminal offense and both can carry license suspensions. If someone was hurt as a result, then it will add the "causing bodily harm" clause which can mean jail time on top.

Before a separate PEV licensing/exam is setup though, I think the minimum requirement is for anyone to ride on the road, they must have a drivers license. That way reckless behaviour can still be regulated via demerit points which is much more impactful than say impounding the wheel/confiscating it - which will just cause more "outlaw behaviour" as riders will have no choice but to try to dodge cops every ride. Personally, if I got stopped on my commute because I was going 60 in a 30 zone, I have no issue bringing out my driver's license and admitting I screwed up - how is this any different than if I was driving a car? Speed limits are designed for everyone's safety, shouldn't matter what vehicle it is.

If we want governments to take PEV micro-mobility seriously, we absolutely need licensing because of how how fast these vehicles are and the risk it poses.

[Rehab1]

If I just capture one moment in time of the entire video please calmly explain “who has the right of way”? 

 

[Unventor]

22 minutes ago, Rehab1 said:

If I just capture one moment in time of the entire video please calmly explain “who has the right of way”? 

 

Let's roll it back a 10sec or so. I don't think they anticipated an EUC to be that fast up on then. After all 2 set of people made decisions to cross and that could be done safely.

This is a very good example to why cities do not have highway speed limits in pedestrian areas.

One frame show one situation but it might not reflect eye contact that could have allowed all to pass each other in a different situation.

It become reckless riding the moment you are riding in a way that none around you expect you too. That mean both in terms in speeds, lane shifting or in areas you are not supposed to be. 

The pedestrian s are in a designated area for them to cross. It does not mean they can do whatever they please, but they do hold the advantage to right of way. At least to traffic laws I am familiar with. 

Once someone decide they are above the law it becomes a very dangerous situation very fast. Riding or driving fast do not make it better in any way. 

[Brendan "nog3" Halliday]

2 minutes ago, Unventor said:

The pedestrian s are in a designated area for them to cross. It does not mean they can do whatever they please, but they do hold the advantage to right of way. At least to traffic laws I am familiar with. 

The pedestrians are on a zebra crossing whilst their crossing lights are green, and the EUC rider is riding towards a red light. In most civilised areas of the world this would mean the pedestrians have ultimate right of way here. It is not up to them to anticipate how fast a vehicle that should not be crossing the zebra crossing contra-flow is travelling at.

[mike_bike_kite]

Even if the light was on red for the pedestrians and green for the rider then the rider still can't just run them down. It just shows incredibly bad judgement on the part of the rider. It also shows incredibly bad judgement to be filming it for "entertainment". 

[Paulo Mesquita]

14 hours ago, Sumako said:

 

WOW! DMV registration, liability insurance, more taxes, paid annually, on the electric equivalent of a pair of roller blades? DUMBEST most STUPID and DISCONNECTED idea I have ever heard.  

 
It looks like all you riders who want laws to force the rest of riders to pay an annual fee/tax to the man. I bet y’all were never pissed off at @evX_Mickover his video. In fact the lot of you are glad he made that video so y’all can make your pitch to community, to sell the rest of us on the idea of spending more money on what we own. 

DON’T go to the DMV

DON’T get your wheel plated

DON’T try to be “street legal” becasue your ride is already STREET LEGAL!!!!!

 

Nearly every state has legislation guiding electric micro mobility. It’s called “25mph on the road and no limit speed in bike-lanes”! 

You’re riding an Electric Unicycle, people. It’s NOT a motorcycle. It was never meant to be a motorcycle or motor bike. It’s not mini ebike, it’s a not half, standup, pogo, mini, push it, skate it, “E” Motorcycle.

 

You want a motorcycle where you get go walk into the DMV and get your plates, buy registration tags, pay taxes, and Liability insurance; ANNUALLY? Then get off of the EUC and get a REAL motorcycle. And if you got a motorcycle be grateful that your EUC gives you a fun ride that you don’t have to pay annually on. 

@Sumako try and remember there is an entire planet besides the USA. I know that for some it's a difficult concept. FYI there are around 200 countries besides your and may members of this forum belong to those nationalities. So...there are about 200 different laws and legislations for PEV's all over those countries. Mine, being one of the many.

I hope that with this small information will broaden your perception of this great community and of out planet.

[GoGeorgeGo]

5 hours ago, Sumako said:

OMG! The whole point is, we have been dealing with this issue of people getting hit by cyclists and skaters for ever and a day and there has NEVER been insurance for any of these cases. Y’all in the UK have free healthcare/socialized medicine. I can’t imagine why any of you need insurance for your PEVs in the first place if medicine and healthcare is covered in the first place. But I digress. 

What has the UK done when a cyclist or skater accidentally hit a pedestrian? 

Cyclists and skaters are not traveling at speed of 40+ mph. In America insurance is not required in every state. But registration is. Officers and the state need a way to identify you in case of traffic infractions or accidents. Many states do actually require a bicycle registration to be legal to ride in the road (generally it costs between 1$ and 10$)

I understand you dont think unicycles should travel over 25 mph but thats clearly not the direction they are going here anyways. The monster pro tops out at 59 and 40 mph is a common speed for its riders. 

Other countries may not share the trend but here in America interest in slow wheels is low. We do not have the infrastructure to support anything under 30 mph. Riding on bike paths and sidewalks can be pleasant, but its a HORRIBLE mode of transportation. Way to many people and animals and obstacles to be used regularly for travel. 

Road riding however has been catching the eye of the public. The majority of new riders here are looking at 30+ mph wheels in my anecdotal experience. Near everyone i meet on smaller slower wheels upgrades within months to a 35+ model. 

Our legal status is very clear, one wheeled devices are unclassified in 90% of regions. Some specific counties and towns have specific ordinances that catch EUC, but to my knowledge no state wide law covers us. They all specify devices with 2 or more wheels. In my real world experince, i have interacted with officers at least 40+ times while riding. 90% of those interactions are just "wow that things badass, you guys be safe!". Twice members of our group rides have been pulled over, one was a bike he caught going to fast (let off with a warning) and once was for my buddies trike which is unregistered (let off with a warning).

Only one time has an officer ever had a "negative" interation with us. And that was because we where at a street crossing in the rail trail bike path and he told us we are not allowed to ride in that path and asked us to please ride in the road. 

We just did a 100 mile ride from providence to Newport the other day, more than half of which was road riding. No issues at all riding 30+ in the streets here. Insurance requirements vary from state to state but i dont think its asking much at all for us to register our devices 

Edited July 5, 2021 by GoGeorgeGo

[CarlW]

5 hours ago, Sumako said:

Yea, you missed the context of my post. In order to understand what is going on in this discussion, it really helps if you have actually ride an EUC. It’s like I don’t fly planes but I’m posting in a discussion about complicated issues regarding flying a solo sports plane. Ya can’t add much complicated discussions unless you have experience. See what I am saying? 

Issues surrounding the original discussion are not complicated.  I am a member of the human race as well as this forum and the behavior shown in the video is unacceptable to me and many others.  I called it out for what is was and posted  "a display of disrespect for others, rules of the road, and lack of common courtesy"  25 other members agreed with my participation in the discussion.  I re-entered this conversation when I saw more disrespect from you towards another member.  Regardless of my EUC experience I have more than enough life experience to identify and call out disrespectful behavior.        

[Heyzeus]

1 hour ago, GoGeorgeGo said:

...No issues at all riding 30+ in the streets here. Insurance requirements vary from state to state but i dont think its asking much at all for us to register our devices

On one hand, I've enjoyed our legal gray area here in socal.  If it's niche or obscure enough then people(cops/enforcement) generally leaves you alone.  Cop sees you riding on the sidewalk(or the street/bike lane), maybe they think it's cool, or maybe they are unsure and it's kind of like a scooter, but it has only one wheel, but you are going almost 30mph on the street/sidewalk, are there any laws covering it?, they don't know and don't want to deal with the paperwork/hassle and so just move on and leave you alone.  The more you start to legislate the more you have a risk of them legislating absolutely ridiculous rules that defeat the purpose of the device (Max power of 1000w or max speed of 20mph etc.) and the more attention you get, and as a result the more enforcement you get and the more the fun and hobby is killed. Out of sight, out of mind if you will.

On the other hand...it's only a matter of time till a rider falls off their wheel and a runaway wheel hops a curb and veers into traffic and causes a multi car crash. 

I was riding on the bike path around the university campus park one day(going the speed bikes do, not racing or going all chooch) and someone on their phone not paying attention crossed the path up ahead of me without looking.  I slowed down as much as possible but it wasn't enough and to avoid hurting them as we collided I veered my wheel off to the side and kind of hopped off while at the same time pushing off of them (like a push up, using my arms to slow the impact like shock absorbers or springs, human crumple zones?).  Anyways, since I veered the wheel so I wouldn't crash it into their legs, when I hopped off, the wheel kept going onto the grass.  People hang out/sit on this grassy area of the university park and read, study, relax etc.  

Luckily my wheel veered into one of the slightly sunken dips around a tree, lost it's balance and toppled over with no damage to any people or it.  The person was apologetic, said sorry, then kept walking to class with no concern about the accident that could have been or without inquiring whether my wheel was okay.  I was somewhat miffed because, well, I'm obeying the rules, you should also play by the rules as a pedestrian crossing a vehicle path and stop, look(up from your phone), cross, but people be people.  However, it occurred to me that, shit, if it hadn't toppled over where it did, it could have kept going and possibly hit any number of uninvolved people ahead of it.  It was going slow enough at that point that it prob wouldn't cause any injury but it left me imagining a wheel going runaway and hitting someone in the head who's just laying down in the park enjoying some sun.   

It's not like cyclists have never caused car crashes or hit a pedestrian but when cyclists do crash, they often crash with their vehicle.  They have control over their ride and it tends to go down with them (sometimes in glorious fashion ie tour de france) but you don't really see a cyclist crash off their bike and it go runaway and hit someone or a car 100+ feet away.  They get wrapped up in their device. Even if only going 10mph, a 50lb vehicle, or some of these newer 70+ pound vehicles, could cause a traumatic brain injury if it hit someone in the head(or hit a child) or a broken bone if hit right elsewhere.  There is a lot of force there. Most bikes while bulky in size are 20-30lbs, lose speed fast and if you are hit by anything first it's usually the rubber wheel not some heavy, hard, plastic battery encasement or metal pedal.

And while the pedestrian is technically at fault here given they crossed the bike path without looking, had they been injured rather than just momentarily shocked and given a story to tell when they get to class, well, I imagine the university would find me at fault.  "You shouldn't be riding so fast"(I wasn't), "You should be watching for idiots/distracted pedestrians"(I was) etc.  But seeing that wheel run off, and having the possibilities flash in my mind as I'm chasing after it for a few seconds was an eye opener.  In the future, I tended to ride around campus a little bit slower than the bikes go, still on alert for pedestrians, but slower than bikes because, well being honest, bikes generally have better brakes and can stop faster to avoid hitting idiot pedestrians and so it's on me to acknowledge that fact and that people will be distracted and dumb and account for that.

And cars, well cars are an ever-day necessity and an accepted risk/part of life, they are common and get the benefit of the doubt as a societally normalized form of transport, they have coverage if at fault for an accident and insured, and if driving safely but the worst case scenario happens and a kid darts into a 4 lane street with a speed limit of 50 and a driver hits and kills the kid because there wasn't enough time to brake, well, it's sad but they aren't arrested or charged or found at fault(generally).

Us though, we aren't common, we are out of the norm, not a generally accepted everyday form of transport people should be watching for.  People glance up see someone standing, no handlebars(one reason a helmet is important is because it helps us stand out from pedestrians who might not look at the ground and see the wheel), and their brain doesn't think "oncoming vehicle", instead thinking "just another pedestrian walking, I have time to cross".  We don't get the benefit of the doubt, we probably are "always at fault" in the eyes of others and prob the courts no matter how unfair the circumstances or how safe we were being because we are riding some weird stupid crazy circus contraption.

If registration was a nominal one time thing or maybe every few years but basically cheap(like 10 bucks or some low processing fee) and it made it so I could get liability coverage I wouldn't be opposed to it.  A concern I would have with registration is a state like california being all, "we need tax dollars, more people are riding scooters and evehicles and don't pay gas taxes, lets charge them ridiculous registration fees to make up the shortfall".

Anyways, what's the point of that whole story, I don't know, maybe my vyvanse is just kicking in and I'm ranting(definitely).  I guess the point is that I see merit to both sides of the coin, those wanting to be left alone and those not against registration of the vehicle/device. And while I enjoy being "out of sight, out of mind", I also wouldn't be opposed to a company like AAA or someone offering a "contract rider/addendum" to your 100/300 car insurance policy that offers similar coverage for your "one or two wheeled, single person, non motorcycle class, electric transportation vehicle" if it was reasonably priced, that would keep me from going bankrupt and pay the medical bills of me/someone if the worst case scenario happened.