Injuries from e-bikes and e-scooters have tripled. Here’s what you need to know

Injuries from e-bikes and scooters have tripled. Here’s what you need to know

ben guarino

Electric scooters and bicycles have become a common sight on U.S. streets, and even on sidewalks in some cities. In general, whenever a new type of vehicle becomes popular, injuries tend to occur. Emergency department visits related to these so-called electric micromobility machines tripled in the United States between 2019 and 2022, according to research published this week in the journal injury prevention. Men were more likely to be injured in electric vehicle accidents than women. And among the age groups that suffered these injuries, children and teens were the most likely to be under the influence of alcohol.

“The tripling of injuries between 2019 and 2022 confirms the rapid adoption of these devices,” said Dr. Roberts, associate professor of epidemiology at North Dakota State University and co-author of the new study. One Akshaya Bhagavatura says: This is also a result of coronavirus-era trends as travelers sought alternatives to public transport, he said. small electric car do It offers perks like avoiding traffic jams and, in some cases, helping the planet. The battery-powered engines used in these machines are more environmentally friendly than comparable combustion engines, but the net environmental benefit depends on how these vehicles are used.

Despite the popularity of e-bikes and e-scooters, “infrastructure, safety regulations and awareness of the risks of impaired riding” have not kept up, Bhagavathula said. The epidemiologist and his colleagues searched the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System, a representative database of U.S. hospital emergency departments, and found 4,020 visits related to these vehicles over the four years of the study. I discovered it. The authors say this translates to an estimated 279,990 emergency department visits for e-scooter injuries and 16,600 emergency department visits for e-bike injuries nationwide.

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Approximately 10% of all micromobility injuries were related to alcohol or alcohol and drug use. Compared with adults younger than 40 years, children aged 10 to 17 years (the youngest cohort studied) were 7.5 times more likely to have an emergency room visit involving alcohol. “As we know, alcohol and (drug) use impair judgment, coordination and balance, significantly (increasing) the risk of injury,” Bhagavathula said.

The most dramatic increase was in electric scooter injuries, from 521 in 2019 to 1,362 in 2022. This corresponds to an estimated increase in cases nationwide from approximately 20,000 cases in 2019 to 63,000 cases in 2022. Bhagavathula points out that these devices have “vehicle-specific vulnerabilities.” Because the wheels are relatively small, they can be less stable than, for example, traditional ones. bicycle.

These findings are consistent with other recent reports reporting similar increases. Research published in JAMA network open A July study found that injuries from e-bikes doubled from 2017 to 2022, and injuries from e-scooters increased by 45 percent annually. On the other hand, injuries caused by bicycles and scooters remained almost unchanged.

Of the body parts tracked in the new study, the head was the most frequently injured after the lower extremities. Not enough riders wear helmets, which is a serious problem, Bhagavathula said. “Public safety campaigns and local regulations that encourage the use of helmets have the potential to significantly reduce these risks,” he said, adding that e-mobility companies are also doing more to encourage the use of proper equipment. He added that it is possible.