E Scooter and E Bike Injuries Are Skyrocketing in the US

As the popularity of electric scooters and bikes has soared in recent years, researchers in California have found that the number of injuries connected to their use has also increased.Part of the rise in injuries could be due to just how popular these electric vehicles, also known as micromobility vehicles, have gotten; their use grew 50-fold in the past decade, according to a new study published by University of California San Francisco researchers in the journal JAMA Open Network. However, their riders are more likely to engage in risky behaviors, like riding while intoxicated or without a helmet, compared to those using conventional vehicles (i.e. regular bikes and scooters). They were also more likely to use them in densely trafficked urban areas.

The new study examined the number of injuries involving riders of e-bikes and e-scooters between 2017 and 2022 and compared those to the injuries suffered on their more conventional counterparts.