The Segway company has announced that the production of the homonymous individual two-wheeled means of transport will cease as of 15 July. The decision was made after the numerous and serious road accidents, including fatalities, in which the vehicle was involved.
The Segway PT model, on the market since the early 2000s, has become very popular in recent years among tourists and also adopted by the police forces of many countries: it was intended, in the intentions of the manufacturer, to revolutionize personal transport, above all. in the city. However, its diffusion has never become widespread and the Segway PT last year represented only 1.5% of the company's revenue, which in recent years has entered the scooter market.
To hinder the diffusion of the Segway PT was, in addition to its cost which remained prohibitive for many customers despite having dropped compared to the 5 thousand dollars when it was launched on the market, the difficulty of driving. In fact, those who drive the Segway to move forward must balance their position with a specific angle and the vehicle can easily get out of control.
In September 2010 Jim Heselden, the billionaire who had bought the company a few months earlier, died in an accident while driving a Segway PT. Former US President George W. Bush was also the victim of an accident in 2003 when he fell out of the vehicle while at his parents' summer home in Kennebunkport, Maine. The Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt in 2015, in Beijing, was hit by a Segway while making the round of the field to celebrate the victory in a 200m race.
– Read also: Segway owner died on a Segway
