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Electric scooter riders are more accident-prone than any other road users, according to a study conducted by the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Although these injuries are generally less serious than on scooters or motorcycles, they are much more frequent.
This study, conducted by Dr. Joann Elmore over a period of six years, shows that the injury rate of electric scooter riders is higher than the national rates for motorists, motorcyclists, cyclists or even pedestrians. It thus warns of the risks associated with the practice of the electric scooter, which is increasingly popular in city centers, in the United States and elsewhere.
It shows that before the widespread introduction of shared electric scooters in 2018, there were at most 13 injuries related to this type of machine per year. Since then, 595 and 672 have been identified respectively in 2018 and 2019. These injuries are not only users of these electric scooters, but also pedestrians, struck by these same machines.
According to researchers, the injury rate from electric scooters is 115 injuries per 1 million rides. This is 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, according to a 2007 study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology.
Small flat all the same, injuries are certainly more frequent in electric scooters than in scooters and motorcycles, but they are generally less serious and less fatal. In Los Angeles, over the period tested, victims of electric scooter accidents were mainly treated for head and extremity injuries. In the end, 72 people were admitted to hospital, including 21 in intensive care. Two of them died from their injuries.
This study includes 1,354 injured individuals who were treated at 180 UCLA outpatient clinics and UCLA Health emergency departments and urgent care centers from January 2014 through May 2020.