E‑Scooter Crashes: Are They a Risky Underestimated New Mode of Transport? A Medical and Technical Assessment

In 2019, electric scooters (e‑scooters) were legalized for use on German roads. Their popularity is attributable to their relatively cheap and easy availability. E‑scooters had already been established in other countries for some time. A rising number of crashes involving e‑scooters have been reported from different countries, but data about crashes in Germany are still limited.

Our local accident research unit documented prospectively a statistically randomized sample of e‑scooter crashes between July 2019 and December 2020. Collected data include, but is not limited to, injury details as well as technical characteristics and circumstances of the crashes.

Twenty‑three crashes are included in this study. Two drivers (8.70%) were uninjured and 60.87% (n = 14) suffered only minor injuries (Maximum Abbreviated Injury Scale [MAIS] 1). Four drivers (17.39%) sustained a MAIS 2 and three drivers (13.04%) a MAIS 3. 41 injuries in total were recorded among the 23 patients included in this study. The Injury Severity Score ranged from 0 to 22. In our cohort, the main person responsible for the crash was most often the e‑scooter driver him/herself (n = 20, 86.96%). In n = 6 (26.09%), a positive alcohol test was carried out, and one driver (4.35%) was under the influence of cannabis.

Crashes involving e‑scooters have the potential to cause severe injuries and e‑scooters should not be considered harmless gadgets. The prevalence of drug and alcohol use during e‑scooter driving and the high percentage of e‑scooter drivers being responsible for the crash may indicate potential recklessness on the part of the drivers.