People who ride e-scooters face a higher risk of injuries to the brain and internal organs than cyclists or motorcyclists, analysis has suggested. More than one in 10 e-scooter riders were children, who were also more likely to be injured, the study found. Helmet use was also “rare” and women were more likely to suffer severe injuries, researchers said.
Study data and findings
A team of experts led by surgeon David Bodansky analysed data for 15,247 patients on the National Major Trauma Registry, which included 580 e-scooter riders, more than 7,000 motorcyclists and 7,740 cyclists. Each had moderate to severe injuries after incidents in 18 cities in England and Wales from 2020 to 2022.
Some 87.9% of e-scooter riders were over 18. Compared with motorcyclists, those who used e-scooters faced a 3.5 times higher risk of a traumatic brain injury, a 1.5 times higher risk of injuring their internal organs, and a 3.2 times higher risk of injuries to the arteries or veins. The risk was 1.7, 1.4 and 1.7 times higher respectively when compared with cyclists.
Helmet use and fractures
Helmet use was documented in 5.9% of e-scooter riders compared with around three-quarters of motorcyclists and 45% of cyclists. However, fracture risk for e-scooter riders was 20% lower than motorcyclists and 10% lower than cyclists.
Collision analysis
The team separately analysed more than 23,000 self-reported e-scooter collisions and near misses. This showed that men had a 36% lower risk of crashing than women. Women were also 2.1 times more likely to be severely injured. Looking at both sets of data allowed “revealed previously under-explored trends” and socioeconomic factors, researchers said, such as incidents being more common in deprived regions.
Context and response
E-scooters are available to rent as part of Government trial schemes in cities such as Liverpool, Bristol, Birmingham and a number of London boroughs. However, it is illegal to use privately owned e-scooters in public. Despite this, researchers said electric scooters “are increasingly used” across the UK but there is limited evidence about “injury patterns, severity and exposure-adjusted risk”.
The latest Department for Transport figures show there were 1,312 collisions involving e-scooters in 2024, up from 1,292 in 2023. There were 1,390 casualties and six people killed.
Researchers said the findings, published in the journal Scientific Reports, “emphasise the need for policies that address the sociodemographic determinants of e-scooter safety to prevent avoidable harm”. “Electric scooters have evolved rapidly from novelty devices to a common form of urban mobility,” researchers said. “As e-scooter adoption expands across Europe, embedding rigorous public health evidence into forthcoming UK legislation will be critical to ensure that the benefits of micromobility are realised while minimising avoidable harm.”
A Department for Transport spokesperson said: “These are concerning findings, and our thoughts are with anyone who has been injured on our roads. Road safety is our top priority, which is why our e-scooter trials are testing their use in a controlled environment now, before updating the law to ensure they can be used safely more widely.”
