In the near future, I intend to introduce “Abby’s Law”, a piece of legislation to regulate the operation of e-scooters and ensure that our children and adolescents are safe on our local streets and sidewalks.

Earlier this summer, Delaware County families and residents were devastated by a tragedy when two preteen girls riding a single electric scooter, were thrown from the scooter into oncoming traffic as they entered the road.  Abigail “Abby” Gillon was a shining star in her community in Ridley Township, and tragically passed away, while her best friend was critically injured with a long road to recovery.

Since the crash, communities across Delco have debated and grappled with how to ensure our kids are safe in a world with new and risky technology. Despite their growing use across Pennsylvania, electric scooters are still undefined in the Pennsylvania Vehicle Code and are technically not legal to ride on local or state streets and sidewalks. As lawmakers, it is our duty to ensure we are properly adapting our laws to accommodate popular technology SAFELY.

Now is the time to clear up the legal gray zone in which e-scooters currently sit, and to honor the life of Abby Gillon by ensuring proper safeguards for teen use. This legislation will define electric scooters in the vehicle code and require their users to follow the rules of the roads just like bicyclists are required, mandate helmet use for minors, and prohibit children under age 16 from operating an electric scooter.

It is also clear that in some communities, parents and law enforcement agree that small fines are not enough to discourage resident families and minors from ignoring the law, so this legislation will authorize municipalities to pass ordinances that include stiffer penalties for underage violations.

Through Abby’s Law, we will work to ensure that no more vulnerable adolescents will ever fall victim to an accident like this and make certain that no family will ever have to experience the same preventable hardships that members of Abby’s family did.  

Please join me in keeping our streets and children safe.