Katharina Buczek
Sharable electric scooters have become all the rave in metropolitan areas throughout the U.S. They are convenient and affordable to rent, sustainable for the environment, and can even offer a fun ride, too.
But, the e-scooter craze is not all sunshine and rainbows.
According to a 2021 report issued by the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission, over 27,000 nationwide emergency room visits were associated with electric scooter accidents. And one city, in particular, is feeling the e-scooter safety strain much more than the rest.
A new research study conducted by UCLA found that the city of Los Angeles has experienced higher injury rates for electric scooter riders than the national injury rates for bicycles, motorcycles, cars, and pedestrians nationwide.
The study analyzed data from the past six years to shed light on a frightening safety risk in spite of electric scooters’ growing market appeal.
Dr. Joann Elmore, the study’s senior author, shared her shock over the data.
“There are millions of riders now using these scooters, so it’s more important than ever to understand their impact on public health. The finding that rates of injuries from e-scooters are similar to rates for motorcycle injuries is startling,” Elmore said.
Since sharable e-scooters were rolled out in a widespread capacity in 2018, injuries have increased more than 45 times.
“Prior to the introduction of shareable e-scooters, there were at most thirteen e-scooter injuries per year. After the introduction of shareable e-scooters in our region, e-scooter injuries increased to 595 in 2018 and 672 in 2019,” the report stated.
Sign up for Chip Chick’s newsletter and get stories like this delivered to your inbox.
