A new study finds that the increased use of small electric vehicles such as e-bikes and scooters has led to a dramatic increase in injuries.
Between 2017 and 2022, injuries to e-bike riders increased 30-fold and for scooter riders increased seven-fold, the research institute reported. study At JAMA Open.
“There was a significant increase in micromobility disorders in the United States during the study period,” said co-author Adrian Fernandez of the University of California, San Francisco.
The study claims to be the first to look at injuries caused by “micromobility” solutions, the use of which is increasing at an even greater rate than the number of injuries.
In some ways, these injuries reflect a positive trend: Use of electric bikes and scooters is expected to increase 50-fold between 2017 and 2022. The small vehicles offer a number of powerful advantages: they’re fast (up to 28 mph), relatively low cost, and easy to use thanks to integration with popular ride-sharing platforms like Lyft.
Electric assist also makes it more convenient for older riders, the study noted.
But the survey suggests that accessibility also means people are more willing to treat e-bikes and e-scooters with ease than traditional modes of transport.
The researchers found that users of e-bikes and e-scooters tend to be older than users of traditional devices and are more likely to drink alcohol and drive without a helmet.
The average age of injured e-bike riders was 39 years old, compared with 30 years old for traditional cyclists.
For scooters, the non-motorized types are used primarily by children, and the difference is even more pronounced: the average age of injured e-scooter drivers is 30 years old, compared to 11 years old for manual scooter drivers.
The researchers note that these injuries aren’t entirely the fault of the cyclists: America’s downtowns have historically been car-centric, and their built environments often make it difficult to use bikes or scooters safely.
And because these devices are so new, they don’t benefit from the same riding culture that helps keep cyclists safe, the 2022 study said.found.
“E-scooters are not necessarily more dangerous than bicycles, but they are often perceived as such, possibly due to unfamiliarity and rider behavior,” said Marco Dozza of Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden, lead author of the 2022 paper.
