I just witnessed what could have been a grisly accident on Commercial Street, as a young man toppled over on his electric skateboard in the center of a traffic lane. This occurred after I watched him go through two red lights at what I assume was a fairly high speed on the board. Luckily, there was little traffic, and he appeared unhurt from the fall.

The proliferation of motorized e-vehicles – skateboards and scooters – needs to be addressed for the safety of all, including the car drivers who may find themselves in the middle of a seemingly unavoidable collision. Let’s not wait for a serious, even fatal, accident to start regulating, licensing and/or testing the use of these vehicles on our roadways.

Tim Bobinsky
Portland