By Jos Dyer, 3 years ago
Ford-owned e-scooter firm Spin today announces an exclusive partnership with Freewheel.co.uk, the cycling website dedicated to supporting local bike shops, to provide free helmets to Spin riders. In total, 5,000 helmets will be available for distribution in Essex through local cycling retailers to empower riders with the freedom to move safely around their community, once lockdown is expected to ease.
In Spring 2021, eligible riders will be able to claim their free, lightweight, durable, comfortable fit Lazer One+ helmet via a voucher code which will be shared with Spin riders closer to the time and valid to redeem exclusively on Freewheel.co.uk. Riders will be able to nominate home delivery or a local bike shop to collect their new helmet from.
Kellie Parsons, Marketing Director at Freewheel.co.uk, said: “We are thrilled to be teaming up with Spin and helping to ensure that e-scooter riders are staying safe. There’s no doubt that e-scooters are a fantastic, environmentally friendly way of getting around but we need to make sure riders are protected and helmets are a great way to do that. At Freewheel.co.uk money from every sale goes towards local bike shops so this is a great way of extending our support for local communities, here in Essex.”
Safety is Spin’s number one priority. Although it’s not a legal requirement in the UK, all riders are encouraged to wear a helmet. Additionally, via the Spin app they are provided with safety information and required to pass a safety test before they first ride. Motivating e-scooter riders to wear a helmet is crucial, particularly as a recent Spin survey* revealed that 24% UK and U.S. respondents would never wear a helmet and of the three-quarters that would wear a helmet, 58% said it would be one they personally owned.
Steve Pyer, UK Country Manager at Spin comments: “We’re committed to rider safety and have a responsibility to riders to not only exceed vehicle safety standards but also educate them on safety best practices. Wearing a helmet is vital to personal safety on an e-scooter and by providing free Lazer helmets we hope every Spin rider will wear one while scooting around their local area.”
Spin’s commitment to rider safety goes beyond providing riders with free helmets. Spin Safe is a free resource for all riders to empower them to move around their community safely, providing tips on correct riding, parking and local rules. Its recent survey of Milton Keynes riders found that 93% of Spin e-scooter riders felt confident that they understood the rules for riding and parking and 90% that they felt safe when riding.
Underscoring Spin’s commitment, the company has recently launched the Micromobility Research Fund in the UK to independently study various safety aspects of e-scooter use and rider travel behaviour. The findings from the research will be used to make recommendations on how local authorities and operators could encourage riders towards a safer use of e-scooters.