According to a new study published in the journal Scientific Reports, e-scooter users face a much higher risk of head and internal organ injuries than motorcyclists and bicyclists. To improve safety, specialists are calling for mandatory helmet-wearing rules, stricter speed limits, and improved scooter design.
Although e-scooters have become a popular part of urban transport worldwide, reliable data on injuries and risks had previously been limited. Researchers examined data from over 15,000 patients from the National Major Trauma Registry database, recorded in 18 cities across England and Wales between 2020 and 2022. Among them were 580 e-scooter users, over 7,000 motorcyclists, and nearly 7,600 bicyclists.
The analysis showed that adult e-scooter users have a 3.5 times higher risk of traumatic brain injury, a 1.5 times higher risk of internal organ injury, and a 3.2 times higher risk of arterial or venous injury compared to motorcyclists. Compared to bicyclists, these figures are 1.7 times, 1.4 times, and 1.7 times higher, respectively. In contrast, the risk of fractures among scooter users is 20% lower compared to motorcyclists and 10% lower compared to bicyclists.
The severity of injuries is largely related to the use of protective equipment. It was found that only 5.9% of e-scooter users used helmets, whereas this figure is 75.7% for motorcyclists and 45% for bicyclists. Additionally, the study showed that female scooter users have a 2.1 times higher risk of sustaining severe injuries than males. Specialists partly attribute this to the fact that most scooters are tailored to male body proportions, making the design less convenient and safe for women.
