The Rise of the Electric Scooter Has Brought an Increase of Injuries World Wide
Carlos Kirby
· 3 min read
Scooters have been around for a long time, but traditionally they’ve been branded as toys that kids ride. But they have become more mainstream among a bigger demographic group in recent years with the rise of the electric scooter. Faster than traditional scooters, electric scooters are popular for people who don't want to pay for more expensive
electric vehicles
.With the increase in usage of electric scooters comes
an increase in injuries
while using personal mobility devices. Their small size and easy maneuverability lead riders to dart into and out of traffic, going between roads and sidewalks, which leads to the danger that comes with riding them.
A large wave of electric scooter injuries in recent years
Consumer Reports
tells the story of a 50-year-old who spent four days in a hospital recovering from head injuries following a crash on an electric scooter. He is one of about 1,500 people who were injured in e-scooter crashes in the United States from 2017-2019, based on tallies from hospitals and other public agencies. The emergency department at Atlanta's Grady Memorial Hospital estimated it had treated about 360 people with e-scooter injuries during that time. The rise of scooter-sharing companies, such as
Lime and Bird
, is helping to increase the frequency of injuries. Those services allow people to make spur-of-the-moment decisions to rent an electric scooter, and not everyone may be experienced with them or know how to ride them properly. Inexperience with something like a scooter makes crashes more likely.
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Common types of injuries in electric scooter accidents
MORE: Can This Solution for Electric Scooters Be Used for Electric Vehicles?
Concussions, nasal fractures, and forearm fractures are some of the most common injuries stemming from the incidents. Head injuries are particularly concerning because of the on-demand availability of electric scooters.
People don't typically carry helmets around with them. If a rider decides at the last minute to rent a scooter, their heads will be exposed without a helmet—a recipe for disaster if an accident happens.
According to
BMJ Journals
, in addition to the head, the most common areas of the body to be injured in scooter accidents are the upper extremity and the lower extremity. With electric scooters being so close to the ground, falling on your arm or leg can easily lead to a fracture or a break.What cities experience the most EV scooter accidents?
Urban locations with many tech-savvy residents and tourists are the most likely to experience a lot of electric scooter accidents. Those tend to be the first locales where scooter rental companies set up shop when they expand.
In addition to Atlanta, Nashville, and Bloomington, Ind.—home of the University of Indiana—are some of the cities Consumer Reports mentioned as having a high injury rate.
Lime and similar companies often start their services in cities before the municipalities have safety regulations in place to try to make electric scooters safer for people to ride. Many cities, however, have started to implement such rules, including requiring helmets when riding battery-powered scooters.
You may think you don't need scooter insurance for your electric scooter, but that is a fallacy. Even if you're just riding around the city on a scooter, you still need to make sure you're insured.
It's a different type of insurance than car insurance and often doesn't cost as much but you still need to be covered. If you're unfamiliar with scooter insurance,
Jerry
can help you figure out what coverage you need and find insurance that won't cost you a lot.
