Cute Guide Doggies of South Australia To Be Trained to Pee on Beam and Neuron Scooters

Cute Guide Doggies of South Australia (CGDoSA) has this week put in an urgent request to the South Australian Government for $3,000,000 in additional funding for their dog training service in Adelaide. 

The problem is that guide dogs trained by CGDoSA are needing an additional 4 weeks to train to enable them to guide their vision impaired owners around Beam and Neuron Scooters left at pedestrian road crossings, in the middle of footpaths and near bus stops. 

The $3m extra funding will enable CGDoSA to train guide doggies to:

• Identify the bright orange and purple Beam and Neuron Scooters left on footpaths by users and help them navigate around the scooters to save injury and medical costs, and
• Urinate on offending Beam and Neuron Scooters left in public places creating a public nuisance and potential public liability issues for Adelaide Council controlled footpaths, and Beam / Neuron Corporations as owners of the scooters. The dog pee will help notify other dogs of the hazard.

CGDoSA is hopeful that the South Australian Government will pay this extra $3,000,000, which would obviously be paid for by the taxpayer.

What's wrong with Beam and Neuron Scooters? Insurance coverage and liability issues.

Beam and Neuron Scooters are not only a headache for the elderly and vision impaired, but they are also a liability for everyone and one might think a ticking time bomb of legal liability and compensation claims for the Adelaide City Council.

• There have been 952 e-scooter emergency department presentations in Brisbane in just 3 years* 
• There have been seven deaths in Australia since introduction including two in Western Australian, and a 15 year old boy in Brisbane in July 2022.#
• Recent e-scooter injury in Adelaide and
• See the awful video on abc.net.au news here of a 70 year old Adelaide woman being knocked over by an e-scooter in Melbourne. Lawyers are now acting for the woman who was knocked over, and suffered $15,000 medical bills and ongoing trauma.

Beam Scooters offer insurance for riders (very, very limited insurance see below), and 'kind of' offer coverage to the general public injured by their product's use on public footpaths. Anyone injured by Beam Scooters must make a claim against Beam Scooters within 30 days. See their 3rd party liability policy here ^^ 

However, note that any man, woman, or child walking on a footpath who is struck by a Beam Scooter that person has no contractual rights against Beam Scooters because they are not a party to the contract, which is between the rider of the scooter, and Beam.^^^

People may be surprised to learn of the very minimal rates of compensation offered to Beam riders (remember no contractual rights to the general public) by Beam Scooters who will only pay Beam users the following under their Rider's Insurance Policy## found here on Beam's website:

1. $1000 maximum for a broken bone, and
2. $250 per tooth to a maximum of 4 teeth, and
3. $50 per day for being in a coma - up to a maximum of 60 days, and 
4. No payment for any injury related to a pre-existing condition (General Exclusion)

Beam and Neuron Scooters are ticking time bombs of liability for the corporation that runs them, and The Adelaide City Council and all local governments that have approved the trials.

What's likely to happen?

One day someone rich or with connections in high places is going to get injured by a Beam or Neuron Scooter, and then watch the proverbial hit the fan. 

• Want to fall off a Beam or Neuron Scooter and break some teeth? No thanks.
• Want to break your leg that had a pre-existing condition? No thanks - no insurance cover!
• Want to be struck by a Beam or Neuron Scooter while walking on a footpath? No thanks - no contractual rights!
• Want to be sued by someone you crash into when riding a Beam or Neuron Scooter? No thanks - you probably don't have any money, but if you do and are a solvent defendent? (that means you have some money) Ohh, watch the lawyers line up.
• Want to ride a Beam or Neuron? Hmmmmm.

*https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/jul/23/solution-or-hazard-australias-e-scooter-debate-gains-speed-but-the-rules-are-a-mess

 # Ibid; https://www.gizmodo.com.au/2022/07/whos-liable-if-youre-injured-or-killed-riding-an-e-scooter/

 ## https://global-uploads.webflow.com/5b685812f109cf81a7d99e25/62562d335a98a3f0119e3b18_Benefits_Summary_Document_Beam_Australia_210901v2.pdf

 ^^https://global-uploads.webflow.com/5b685812f109cf81a7d99e25/62563d0c7a5e47fb52be962d_Benefits_Summary_Document_Beam_Australia%20TPL.pdf

 ^^^ https://www.gizmodo.com.au/2022/07/whos-liable-if-youre-injured-or-killed-riding-an-e-scooter/; https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-08-30/who-is-liable-for-e-scooter-accident-rider-or-hire-company/101341196