A French study has followed cases of two-wheeler accidents, showing that serious injuries are very common with electric scooters and motorized personal transport devices such as Segways, monowheels and hoverboards.
It’s (relatively) new to our streets, and so it gets attention, sometimes irrationally, in the media or in people’s minds. The electric scooter has gained popularity for 5 years, and very logically, accidents increase with the progression of users. Nevertheless, Road Safety had already warned of the worrying increase in bicycles or motorcycles.
More and more cases… which remain in the minority
“However, there was no data on the severe traumatology occurring after an accident involving an EDPM user”, reports the APHP (Paris hospitals). Thus, two of its members, as well as the Sorbonne and Inserm, have published a study on the accidentology of electric scooters and other EDPMs (gyroroues, hoverboards, etc.).
To do this, Dr Arthur James and Mathieu Raux collected data from 5,233 two-wheeler road accident patients over four years (from the beginning of 2019 to the end of 2022), and from 26 establishments. Unsurprisingly, the number of scooter-related patients almost tripled over the period (+184%), from 31 in 2019 to 88 in 2022, going hand in hand with the increase in the practice.
In total, the study lists 229 cases of EPDM accidents, ie only 4.4% of accident victims, against 78.2% on a motorcycle or scooter and 17.4% on a bicycle. We also learn that 83% were men, with an average age of 33, close to the motorcycle, while those admitted to cycling are older (48 years).
Many serious, even fatal cases
Among these seriously injured people, nearly half (45.5%) had severe trauma. “This constituted injuries as severe as those of motorcycle riders, despite a priori lower speed” specifies the APHP. Three quarters of them were admitted to intensive care, with 15 days of hospitalization on average.
Unfortunately, 9% of these cases resulted in death “mainly due to severe head trauma”. The rate is higher than among motorcyclists or scooter riders (5.2%), but lower than on bicycles (10%). This is easily explained by the fact that wearing a helmet is compulsory on a motorcycle.
The APHP rules as well as “EDPMs are means of transport that can be associated with particularly severe trauma, in the same way as motorcycles or bicycles” And “the leading cause of death being head trauma”.
The helmet not worn in a quarter of cases
The cause for the authors is “that less than 25% of EDPM users were wearing a helmet at the time of the accident”. Men are also more carriers (25%) against only 15% in women. Could this conclusion relaunch the debate on the wearing of compulsory helmets on electric scooters?
Other factors are presented, such as the blood alcohol level above 0.5 g/L in a third of serious cases (37%), and admissions “more often evenings and weekends”. Remember that many users of electric scooters do not have lighting at night or a reflective device, yet in the code of scooters and other EPDMs.
The study concludes that ” the leading cause of death being head trauma and most accidents occurring in a context of high alcohol levels, this study could be useful for public and health policies“.
Want to join a community of enthusiasts? Our Discord welcomes you, it’s a place of mutual aid and passion around tech.