A recent study from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) research team has found that e-scooter injuries far outpace other forms of motorized transportation. The study examined 1,354 people injured in e-scooter accidents — including pedestrians who were hit by them or tripped over them, in addition to riders — between 2014 and 2020 at UCLA-associated health clinics.
The team found that e-scooters on average were responsible for 115 injuries for every million trips. By comparison, national injury rates for car trips are eight per million trips, 15 per million trips for bicycles and 104 per million for motorcycles.
“The finding that rates of injuries from e-scooters are similar to rates for motorcycle injuries is startling,” said Dr. Joann Elmore, a UCLA professor of medicine and member of the study team. “The ease of public access to on-demand shareable scooters and safety regulations that are still in their infancy suggest that e-scooter operators, cities and health-care providers will continue to see a significant number of injuries each year.”
