Citation

Reito A, Öljymäki E, Franssila M, Mattila VM. JAMA Netw. Open 2022; 5(4): e227418.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2022, American Medical Association)

DOI

10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.7418

PMID

35420666

Abstract

Electric scooters (e-scooters) have become an increasingly popular mode of transportation in metropolitan areas around the world, which has led to many e-scooter-related injuries. The most common injuries are head and facial trauma and extremity injuries. Patients with these injuries are predominantly younger men, and substance use is also relatively common among the injured. The characteristics of the injured and the prevalence of the sustained injuries have been reported by numerous authors. We aimed to evaluate the incidence of e-scooter-related injuries.

During the study period, 1 862 778 trips were made and 4 592 549 km were driven on e-scooters. The incidence of any injured riders requiring admittance to the ED during the study period was 18.0 (95% CI, 16.2-20.0) per 100 000 rides and 7.3 (95% CI, 6.6-8.1) per 100 000 km driven. The incidence of patients with major trauma was 5.9 (95% CI, 4.9-7.1) per 100 000 rides and 2.4 (95% CI, 2.0-2.9) per 100 000 km driven.

Because e-scooters remain popular and the market continues to grow, further studies are needed to evaluate targeted safety measures on e-scooter use. The incidence reported in our study can be used as a reference value for new interventions.

Language: en