December 11, 2024
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Injuries from electric bicycles and scooters have tripled. Here’s what you need to know
After the shocking increase in electric scooter and e-bike injuries, epidemiologists have warned of inadequate infrastructure and safety regulations.
Emergency department visits have increased dramatically in recent years, according to a new analysis of a database representing U.S. hospitals.
Electric scooters and electric bicycles have become commonplace on US streets—and, in some cities, on sidewalks. As a general rule, whenever a new type of vehicle becomes ubiquitous, there are injuries. Emergency department visits for these so-called electric micromobility machines tripled in the US between 2019 and 2022, according to a study. in the magazine published this week Injury Prevention. Males were injured more often than females in electric vehicle accidents. And among the age groups for such injuries, children and teenagers were the most likely to be under the influence of alcohol.
“The tripling of injuries between 2019 and 2022 highlights the rapid adoption of these devices,” he says. Akshaya BhagavathulaAssociate professor of epidemiology at North Dakota State University and co-author of the new study. Also, he says, it’s the result of a trend during the COVID era where travelers were looking for alternatives to public transportation. Small electronic vehicles do it offer benefits such as avoiding traffic and potentially helping the planet: the battery-powered motors used in these machines are greener than their combustion equivalents, even with the net environmental benefits. it depends on how these vehicles are used.
Despite the popularity of e-bikes and electric scooters, “infrastructure, safety regulations and awareness of the dangers of riding” have not kept up, says Bhagavathula. The epidemiologist and his colleagues searched the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System, a representative database of US hospital emergency departments, and found 4,020 vehicle-related visits during the study’s four-year window. According to the authors, this is based on estimates of 279,990 emergency department visits due to electric scooter injuries and 16,600 visits nationwide.
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About 10 percent of all micromobility injuries were related to alcohol or alcohol plus drug use. Compared to adults under 40, children aged 10 to 17 (the youngest cohort studied) were 7.5 times more likely to drink for these emergency room visits. “As we know, alcohol and (drug) consumption impairs judgment, coordination and balance, significantly (increasing) the risk of injury,” says Bhagavathula.
Electric scooter injuries saw the most significant increase, from 521 in 2019 to 1,362 in 2022. This corresponds to an increase from around 20,000 in 2019 to around 63,000 in 2022. These devices have “vehicle-specific weaknesses” such as their relatively small wheels, which can make them less stable than conventional bicycles.
These findings are consistent with recent reports describing similar increases. A study published in JAMA network open in July, from 2017 to 2022, E-bike injuries have doubledand electric scooter injuries increased by 45 percent annually. Meanwhile, human-powered bicycle and scooter injuries remained mostly flat.
After the lower limbs, the head was the most injured part of the body in the new study. Not many pilots wear helmets, which is a serious problem, Bhagavathula notes. “Public safety campaigns and local regulations that encourage helmet use can greatly mitigate these risks,” he says, adding that e-mobility companies can do more to encourage wearing the appropriate equipment.
