San Francisco is facing growing safety concerns surrounding the use of electric scooters and other stand-up powered devices, as injury-causing collisions involving these forms of mobility continue to increase.

The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) reported in its July 30, 2026 Street Safety Initiative 6-Month Update that stand-up powered devices include electrically motorized boards, Go-Peds, electric scooters and motorboards. The report shows that injury collisions involving these devices increased from 36 in 2018 to 315 in 2025.

The issue has also drawn attention following a fatal crash on Aug. 6. According to the San Francisco Fire Department, a woman riding an electric scooter was struck by a commercial truck on Market Street between Fourth Street and Fifth Street. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

San Francisco currently has two major shared e-scooter operators, Lime and Spin. Each operator is permitted to deploy up to 3,250 scooters across the city.

Under SFMTA safety rules, riders of rental scooters are required to wear helmets, use streets or bicycle lanes rather than sidewalks, and keep their speed below 15 miles per hour.

According to DataSF, SFMTA issued 796 citations for dangerous e-scooter riding in June 2026, while 819 parking violations were recorded. The figures did not include riders of privately owned scooters, which are outside SFMTA's jurisdiction.

San Francisco Expands Broader Street Safety Strategy

The increase in stand-up powered device collisions is being addressed as part of San Francisco's broader street safety strategy. The city's stated goals include eliminating traffic fatalities and reducing traffic-related severe injuries, while improving street design, enforcing safe driving speeds and providing greater protection for vulnerable road users.

The SFMTA report also shows that overall injury collisions have been trending downward, while severe injury collisions have been trending upward.

As part of its response to the growth of e-mobility, San Francisco is forming an E-Mobility Working Group led by the Mayor's Office with support from SFMTA. The group includes users, providers and public-sector representatives and is intended to support the benefits of e-bikes and stand-up powered devices while addressing growing safety and accessibility concerns.

SFMTA has also identified the promotion and enforcement of safe e-device operations and parking as one of the actions under its Street Safety Initiative.

The city's safety strategy further includes coordinating street safety improvements with road repaving and reconstruction projects. SFMTA, the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission and Public Works have established an improved coordination process to incorporate safety upgrades when streets are repaved or reconstructed.

Photo: San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA)