Electric scooter riders are three times more likely to suffer traumatic brain injuries than motorcyclists, according to an analysis of accidents in England and Wales. The study also found that women were particularly at risk of serious harm.
Brain injuries made up more than a third of adult injuries sustained on e-scooters. Riders also experienced more internal organ and blood vessel damage compared to motorcyclists or pedal cyclists, the analysis revealed.
The study, conducted by David Bodansky, a consultant hand, trauma and orthopaedic surgeon, examined injuries from e-scooter, motorbike, and bicycle collisions in 18 cities between 2020 and 2022. It found that e-scooter riders were more than three times as likely to suffer traumatic brain injury or blood vessel damage and 1.5 times more likely to injure internal organs than motorbike riders. Their risk of bone fractures was lower than cyclists or motorcyclists.
Women were involved in about a third more collisions than men and were more than twice as likely to report severe injuries. Children were also affected, with 16% of e-scooter injuries occurring in under 18s. Experts have called for mandatory safety training and compulsory helmets, noting that fewer than 6% of e-scooter riders in the study reported wearing a helmet.
Dr Petya Ventsislavova, a senior lecturer in transport psychology, highlighted that e-scooters handle differently from bicycles due to factors like a higher centre of gravity and sensitive steering, making them less stable. She called for comprehensive legislation for private e-scooters, which currently cannot legally be used on public roads, paths, or cycle lanes, despite government-backed trials of rental e-scooters since 2020.