Knoxville – The new kind of lightweight aluminum scooter is being seen more and more around urban areas throughout the country.

And with more scooters, doctors are seeing more injuries.

An industrial engineering professor at the University of Tennessee said most users of the new -Razor- scooter are aware of the risks.

“By and large, a kid might be unaware of the hazards, but that-s the parents- duty to teach them,” said Dr. Tyler Kress. “A scooter is not that much different than skateboards and roller-skates that have been around forever.”

The United States Consumer Product Safety Commission says there have been more than 9,000 scooter-related injuries treated at emergency rooms this year.

“Children should be careful where they ride a scooter,” Kress said. “They should treat them the same way they treat roller-skates, and only take them places they would walk.”

Kress said parents could insist their children wear safety helmets when riding the scooters.

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