Lime is also relying on another, simpler tactic to promote safety: it's offering freebies. The first 25,000 users who promise to adopt a Respect the Ride pledge will get a free Lime helmet in the mail, with 250,000 free helmets reaching people worldwide in the space of the next six months.

The push could raise awareness of safety and legal issues that many riders simply ignore. This is also a pragmatic business move on Lime's part, though. The campaign could help burnish Lime's image, assuaging skeptical officials who aren't convinced it has the public interest at heart. Not that it's guaranteed to work -- it may convince some riders to wear a helmet during their commutes, but regulators may want more drastic action.