

Slowly catching up with the times, classic NSW though having to be different to everyone else and make it 20km/h rather than 25.
Really should be allowed on footpaths (maybe with lower limit) but I guess small steps are better than the current situation where they’re illegal but mainly ignored. The ACT allows both escooters and bicycles on the footpath and this works fine, so take claims it’d be super dangerous with a large serving of salt.
I don’t have data to base this on but would place decent bets on it being noticeably more dangerous than driving for the individual riding the scooter and noticeably less dangerous for anyone they run into. The rate would depend on how you measure accidents though - per kilometre would be a lot worse than per trip.
Escooters aren’t really good vehicles for rider safety - small wheels (often with no suspension), unstable geometry, and a riding position with limited ability to brace oneself means you do have to be careful. It does require a solid readjustment coming from my dirt bike in particular (where hopping 20-30cm logs is easy) onto the scooter where hitting a little tree root raised bit of tar at 25km/h will just about throw you off the thing.
They are definitely convenient and fun though, it’s a good thing that NSW is finally moving to allow them.