Seattle and the rest of the U.S. are seeing an alarming rise in electric scooter injuries — particularly among children, according to data compiled by ERideHero, a consumer guide to electric micro-mobility.

Why it matters: E-scooters, despite their well-publicized boom and bust history, have become mainstream in many cities while lacking the safety guardrails that govern other types of transportation.

• People often ride them on sidewalks, for instance, and without helmets.
• Children zip around on adult-size scooters that go much faster than many parents realize.

The big picture: Some 81 million people took trips on shared e-scooters in the U.S. last year, according to the North American Bikeshare & Scootershare Association.

• Approximately 150,000 shared scooters are deployed across the U.S. on a daily basis.

By the numbers: E-scooter injuries in the U.S. rose by 80% to nearly 116,000 in 2024, according to ERideHero's 2025 Electric Scooter Accident Report.

• Accidents among children more than doubled, with nearly 18,000 kids under 15 getting hurt — many suffering head trauma.
• People between 15 and 24 suffered the most e-scooter injuries, accounting for more than 23%.
• 68% of those injured were male, and over 10,000 injuries involved driving under the influence.

Zoom in: The number of people admitted to Harborview Medical Center with injuries from riding or being struck by e-scooters and e-bikes has increased every year since 2020, UW Medicine spokesperson Susan Gregg tells Axios.

• There were 29 such admissions in 2020 and 163 in 2024, per Gregg.
• "We continue to see a significant increase in injured children and adults who were riding e-scooters," says Beth Ebel, a professor of pediatrics at the University of Washington.

What they're saying: Many injuries stem from younger users missing hazards that adults would spot, Ebel tells Axios.

• "Younger people are more prone to taking risks," Ebel says. "We have also seen injuries from 'tandem' riding from young people who are both riding the same scooter together, including injuries to very young children."

Between the lines: "I think we're seeing the consequences of treating e-scooters like toys instead of vehicles," says Rasmus Barslund, founder of ERideHero.

Be smart: Ebel — who is also an injury prevention expert — offered these tips to make riding safer:

• Wear a helmet. And make sure it's fitted and strapped.
• Be seen. Use reflective strips — on both your clothes and your helmet.
• Stick to bike lanes. Plan routes with physical separation from vehicles when possible.
• Follow the rules of the road. One rider today was headed the wrong way down Lake City Way — no helmet.
• Keep kids off the road. Children not of driving age shouldn't be riding scooters in traffic.
• Support common-sense laws. Push for helmet rules and lower speed limits.
• Back safer streets. More bike lanes and slower cars protect everyone.
• Don't ride impaired. If you're under the influence, take a bus or use a rideshare.

September's cooler nights and chance for rain make early fall prime time for gardeners' sweet spot in Seattle.

Why it matters: A few fall tasks lock in soil health, support pollinators and reduce next year's maintenance, so you can enjoy your garden more with less work.

State of play: Autumn favors roots over shoots, so anything planted now establishes quickly, local gardening journalist Erica Browne Grivas tells Axios.

What they're saying: "Plant, plant, plant," said Grivas, who shared her fall priorities with us.

• Sow cover crops such as fava beans or crimson clover to "fix" nitrogen and build soil for spring.
• Tuck in lettuce, arugula and bok choy for fall salads; kale and collards to carry you into winter.
• Nab tulips, daffodils and snowdrops now before the best picks sell out. Mix varieties to stretch bloom time and feed pollinators.
• Pounce on nursery sales. Trees, shrubs and perennials are often discounted now.

Catch up quick: September is also for picking produce at peak and banking seeds for the future, says Grivas.

• Snip tomatoes once you see a warm blush at the base, then finish ripening indoors to dodge cracking and critter nibbles.
• Refresh tired containers with violas, ornamental kale, grasses or heuchera.
• Add a layer of wood chips to lock in moisture, buffer temps and enrich soil as it breaks down.
• Bring in your tender plants.

Yes, but: Leave the leaves. Removing them can cut spring emergence of butterflies and moths by about 35%–45%, per Grivas.

• Instead, rake thick mats off the lawn and use leaves on beds, in a corner or in compost.
• And skip the fall "clean-up." Hollow stems and brushy bits are winter shelter for wildlife. Wait for spring to cut perennials back.

What's next: Do the light work now, then pull out the catalogs and settle in for winter and visions of spring.

Spread the pollination

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🤖 Elon Musk's AI startup xAI is opening a new Seattle hub, with engineering jobs paying $180,000 to $440,000 as part of its push to challenge OpenAI. (GeekWire)

🎓 Community colleges in the Seattle area report fewer international students, citing travel bans and visa restrictions as key factors. (KUOW)

🔥 Fire crews are still battling the Bear Gulch Fire near Lake Cushman, which has scorched more than 10,000 acres and is just 9% contained. (KIRO 7)

The Hawks opened their season with a painful 17–13 loss to the rival 49ers.

State of play: Seattle was neck and neck with San Francisco through the fourth quarter, but a late Sam Darnold fumble — forced by Nick Bosa with 42 seconds left — sealed the deal, per Field Gulls.

Yes, but: It's only Week 1, and there's plenty of season left.

What's next: The Hawks hit the road to face the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Congrats, sleuths — you nailed it!

The shiny sphere we asked about last week sits in a roundabout driveway at the foot of Harrison Street on Elliott Avenue West, in front of the Unison Elliott Bay office campus.

The sculpture looks out over the BNSF tracks, where freight trains still roll along a corridor laid in the 19th century.

Special shout-out to Sam N., Ron V, Craig C and Sarah A. who sent us the right answer lightning fast.