Can Lime enforce its rules? Safety questions linger after Seattle crash
Near-fatal Lime bike crash in Seattle prompts company response
A day after two people were critically hurt in a crash on Seattle's Aurora Avenue while riding a Lime bike, we're taking a closer look at how the company is responding, and what Lime is doing to keep riders safe.
SEATTLE - A day after two people were critically hurt in a crash on Aurora Avenue North while riding a Lime bike, we are taking a closer look at how the company is responding.
Lime said it encourages riders to obey the rules of the road. If they don't, it can warn them, fine them, or ban them.
Lime bikes in Seattle
Scooters, gliders, bikes: Lime is part of life in Seattle.
Andrew Rodriguez said risk is part of the ride.
"It's convenient, but I can see where it can be very dangerous," he said.
The backstory:
On Monday, Seattle police responded to a crash on Aurora Avenue North at about 4:30 a.m.
Officials said a 19-year-old man and a 20-year-old woman doubled up on a Lime bike together from Roy Street on Queen Anne and into Aurora traffic.
They were hit by a truck and badly hurt.
FOX 13 Seattle contacted Harborview Medical Center for an update on how the two crash victims are doing. Officials said the man and woman remain in critical condition.
Lime said it was devastated by the crash.
The company also said nearly every trip worldwide ended safely in 2025.
The other side:
Local doctors spotted a different trend.
UW Medicine saw e-Bike and e-Scooter injuries jump nearly 36% last year over 2024.
Doctors said many patients aren't wearing helmets. That's leading to head injuries and intensive care.
"I've crashed. Driving at night, these lights don't really point. They point in front of you straight ahead, but they don't point at the ground in front of you. I hit a curb one time and just indo-ed […] it was pretty bad," Rodriguez said.
FOX 13 Seattle asked what Lime is doing to stop crashes.
It told us it uses geofencing to control speed, parking, and where the fleet can and can't go.
Lime also said every device has a max motor-assisted speed of 15 miles per hour.
SDOT plans to throttle the ride even more during the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
"Bike and scooter share vehicles will be automatically slowed down to eight miles per hour and directed to park in designated spots sort of around the perimeter of the closure area," SDOT Deputy Director Elizabeth Sheldon said during a recent press conference.
Big picture view:
An SDOT data dashboard breaks down details about the current size of the scooter and bike share fleet and how many trips people are taking.
When we checked in with the portal, it showed 24,400 daily trips and 2.7 million total trips with an average distance of 1 mile and an average trip duration of 10 minutes.
Lime encourages riders to wear helmets and even hands them out at events.
We rarely saw Lime riders wearing one.
"I would suggest you know, it wouldn't be a bad idea to wear a helmet," Rodriguez said.
We pointed out that Rodriguez was also not wearing a helmet.
"No. I'm not. Do as I say, not as I do, right?" he said.
Lime can ban riders who break the rules, if they ever catch them.
What's next:
With the 2026 FIFA World Cup less than two months away, we asked Lime if they plan to send more bikes, gliders, or scooters to town. They told us not at this time.
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The Source: Information in this story comes from original reporting by FOX 13 Seattle reporter Dan Griffin.