I totally agree. If you run into something on either vehicle it's going to hurt. If you aren't wearing a helmet, you could really get hurt. It is pretty apparent with the behavior of typical commuter boarders vs. bicyclists that they know which is safer. Most cyclists on streets actually don't wear helmets. Most boarders do.
With regards to breaking when you don't have a rock, curb, door in your face...You can program anti-lock braking into an electronically controlled breaking system. If you have enough understanding of the friction of the rider to the board and the boarder is experienced enough to know how position themselves during braking, that system should win as it can avoid skidding. Regarding experience level: on a bike it takes some experience not to just use the front brake only and drop your head on the pavement.
Until we see some stats about which group actually sustains more serious injuries, commuter bicyclists or commuter boosted boarders, the jury is still out.
With regards to breaking when you don't have a rock, curb, door in your face...You can program anti-lock braking into an electronically controlled breaking system. If you have enough understanding of the friction of the rider to the board and the boarder is experienced enough to know how position themselves during braking, that system should win as it can avoid skidding. Regarding experience level: on a bike it takes some experience not to just use the front brake only and drop your head on the pavement.
Until we see some stats about which group actually sustains more serious injuries, commuter bicyclists or commuter boosted boarders, the jury is still out.