Juvenile riders: Operating e-scooters poses a significant risk to life
Ride With Caution: E-Scooters Pose a Threat to Children and Teens
Electric scooters might appear fun and easy to use, but they pose a significant danger, especially for children and young adolescents. Viennese trauma surgeons and Munich traffic safety researchers have warned that these motorized vehicles lead to more severe injuries and potentially life-threatening accidents in this age group.
Only last year, a study by MedUni Vienna/AKH and published in Pediatric Research revealed that young e-scooter riders face a higher risk of life-threatening traffic accidents than those on regular scooters. Over the course of four years, 633 children and teens were admitted to hospitals with injury-related injuries, with boys making up 63.5% of the cases. Remarkably, 7.5k cases of e-scooter-related injuries occurred, marking a 25% increase since the previous study in 2019.
Gendered Risk Factors
Boys were significantly more likely to end up in the emergency room due to e-scooter accidents. Furthermore, non-electric scooter riders were less likely to suffer severe head injuries or be involved in traffic accidents compared to e-scooter riders. Unsurprisingly, a higher incidence of alcohol involvement was found among accident victims on e-scooters.
Although the corresponding German medical publication, ZM Online, reported similar findings, their study focused on accident data from the trauma registry of the German Society for Trauma Surgery since 2020. The research revealed that e-scooter accident victims were more likely to be male, younger, and under the influence of alcohol than cyclists. An alarming 34.9% of e-scooter accident victims were intoxicated, compared to only 15.6% of cyclists.
The study also showed that most e-scooter accidents occurred at night, resulting in severe head or facial injuries in over 83% of cases. The most common injuries included brain hemorrhages, skull base fractures, and multiple rib fractures. The mortality rate was recorded at 4.8%.
Prevention Strategies
To ensure the safety of children and young adolescents, it's essential to implement preventative measures. Helmet use, speed limit enforcement, comprehensive educational programming, improved vehicle design, and stringent age restrictions are all crucial components in reducing the risk of e-scooter accidents.
Recent statistics illustrate that a lack of helmet use is a significant factor in the increased risk of injury among e-scooter riders. In one study, as many as 97% of children involved in e-scooter accidents were not wearing helmets. Enforcing strict helmet laws, conducting public awareness campaigns, and improving scooter designs to include better braking systems and more stable platforms can all help minimize accidents and injuries.
While many jurisdictions have set speed limits for e-scooters, enforcement remains lackluster. Implementing effective enforcement mechanisms is crucial to reducing the likelihood of excessive speed-related accidents in young riders. Age restrictions, penetrating helmet laws, and regular public awareness campaigns can also contribute to a safer environment for e-scooter users.
A Database of Accidents
Investigating the causes and prevention of e-scooter accidents among children and teens is an ongoing effort in the scientific community. The Centre for Healthy Aging and Brain research at RMIT University in Melbourne is initiating RIDE — Researching Injury, Development, and Epidemiology — to create a comprehensive database of accidents and injuries, including those involving various modes of transportation, to help inform relevant policies and design interventions.
By understanding the risks and implementing preventative measures, we can work towards reducing the number of life-threatening accidents caused by the misuse of electric scooters by our youngest riders.
The company could establish partnerships with health-and-wellness organizations to promote helmet use among children and teens who ride e-scooters, thus reducing the risk of severe head injuries.
In collaborating with universities and research institutions, like the Centre for Healthy Aging and Brain Research at RMIT University, the science community could develop innovative and effective strategies to mitigate the dangers of e-scooters, ultimately leading to a safer environment for all users.
