Bunbury’s only e-scooter hire company, Beam, hosts Beam Safe Academy for National Road Safety Week

Bunbury’s only e-scooter hire company, Beam, did its part to improve road safety on Saturday, May 21, with the Beam Safe Academy, a real-world training course run by the company for National Road Safety Week. Lyon’s Cove in Bunbury played host to the safety program at the weekend, which Beam incorporated a briefing guide for new riders, an interactive safety quiz and a free training course for riders to test out their e-scooter skills in a supportive environment. The academy comes following two e-scooter deaths already this year, including father-of-three Kim Rowe on May 5, and a 13-year-old boy in February, with St John WA telling The Sunday Times they have attended more than 250 incidents involving e-scooters since January 1, 2021. Beam said the program had been developed in partnership with national safety experts Ascent Training Services, and formed part of Beam’s community engagement efforts to educate riders on local riding rules and safe handling of e-scooters. Beam general manager ANZ Tom Cooper said the company was in the business of making the lives of city dwellers better, not risking them. “We always have safety at the forefront, and at Beam, safety is more than ensuring a rider has a functioning vehicle that meets safety requirements,” he said. “We work hard to ensure every Beam user is always mindful of the riding environment, operates their vehicle under control at all times, and uses a city’s shared spaces well. “Using a combination of hardware, software, and real world education, we seek to make cities safer — and more enjoyable — for all. “The Beam Safe Academy is Australia’s leading real-world e-scooter training program, which we run regularly in all cities we operate in. “We think it’s important that riders have the opportunity to learn safety tips and test their skills on the course, because even the safest scooter requires a safer rider.”