People who rely on e-bikes and electric scooters for transportation know they can get hurt, but they may be surprised at how likely that actually is.
Injury rates involving these modern modes of transport have skyrocketed between 2019 and 2022, researchers from Columbia University report. Injuries involving e-bikes surged by 293%; those involving electric scooters increased by 88%.
“Our findings highlight the urgent need to improve injury surveillance for micromobility and identify strategies for cities to enhance user safety so that micromobility can be a safe, sustainable, equitable, and healthy transportation option,” said the study’s lead author, Kathryn Burford. She is a postdoctoral fellow in epidemiology at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health in New York.
Micromobility encompasses any small, low-speed transportation device powered by human or electric means. And these devices are gaining popularity: between 2019 and 2022, e-bike sales outpaced those of electric cars and trucks – an impressive increase of 269%.
Using a national injury surveillance system, Burford’s team analyzed patterns from over 1.9 million injuries associated with e-bikes, bicycles, hoverboards, and electric scooters. The sample included data from 96 hospitals across the U.S.
Of the 48.8 million injuries that resulted in emergency visits between 2019 and 2022, 1.9 million involved micromobility devices. Bicycles were number 1, accounting for 33.2 of every 1,000 emergency injuries. Electric scooters were number 2, with 3.4 of every 1,000 emergency injuries, followed by 1.8 for hoverboards and 1.2 for e-bikes.
More than 3 in every 4 hoverboard injuries involved patients under 18 years old. This compared to 1.5% of e-bike injuries and 16% of electric scooter injuries.
In contrast, 57% of injured patients using electric scooters, 49% of those with e-bike injuries, and 31% of bicycle injuries were aged 18 to 44 years. Males had higher rates of injuries involving scooters and bikes than females. Bike and e-bike related injuries were more common among older adults. Alcohol and helmet use were factors in some cases.
Alcohol was more involved in injuries with electric scooters and e-bikes. Injured bike and e-bike users were more likely to wear helmets than those on hoverboards or electric scooters. Helmet use was lowest among injured patients using hoverboards, and they were more likely to suffer concussions.
Hoverboard-related injuries declined during the study period, especially among children. Researchers attributed this, at least in part, to a 2018 safety alert from the American Academy of Pediatrics.
“On the other hand, the considerable increase in electric micromobility injuries we are experiencing may be attributed to a lack of access, education, and regulation for protective equipment, as shared micromobility systems, such as NYC’s City Bike program, are not required to provide helmets to users,” said the study’s senior author, Andrew Rundle, a professor of epidemiology at Columbia.
Burford suggested that public authorities may need to intervene.
“There is a lack of legislation on where micromobility devices can be used,” she explained, “and the legislation regulating the use of these devices under the influence of alcohol or other recreational drugs is inconsistent and historically difficult to pass.”
Researchers noted that improving the availability of protected bike lanes near high-use areas, such as urban centers, could make streets safer for micromobility users. They plan to investigate features that may help prevent the risk of injuries.
Source: www.usnews.com