Electric scooter users are more prone to accidents than any other road users, according to a study conducted by the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA). Although these injuries are generally less serious than with a scooter or motorcycle, they are much more frequent with an e-scooter than with any other means of transportation.
The study, led by Dr. Joann Elmore over a six-year period, shows that the injury rate for electric scooter riders is higher than the national rates for motorists, motorcyclists, cyclists and pedestrians. The study warns of the risks associated with the use of e-scooters, which are becoming increasingly popular in downtown areas throughout the United States and elsewhere.
The study shows that before the widespread introduction of e-scooter share services in 2018, there were at most 13 injuries related to electric scooters per year. Since then, there were 595 and 672 reported in 2018 and 2019, respectively. These injuries are not only to users of these electric scooters, but also to pedestrians, hit by these vehicles.
According to the researchers, the injury rate from electric scooters is 115 injuries per 1 million rides. That's well above the national injury rates for other modes of transportation: 104 per million motorcycle trips, 15 per million bicycle trips, 8 per million car trips and 2 per million walking trips, according to a 2007 study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology.
However, while injuries are more frequent on electric scooters than on moto scooters and motorcycles, they are generally less serious and less fatal. In Los Angeles, during the period tested, victims of electric scooter accidents were mainly treated for head and extremity injuries. In the end, 72 people were admitted to the hospital, 21 of whom were admitted to intensive care. Two of these people died as a result of their injuries.
This study included 1,354 injured people who were treated at 180 UCLA outpatient clinics and UCLA Health emergency departments and urgent care centers from January 2014 to May 2020.
