San Francisco

Electric Scooter Injuries Rapidly Rising: Study

NBCUniversal, Inc.

More people are being injured while riding electric scooters, according to a new study.

Researchers from UC San Francisco, looking at national hospital data from 2014 to 2018, found the number of scooter-related injuries doubled to more than 39,000. The number of hospitalizations related to e-scooter injuries quadrupled, and nearly a third of patients suffered head trauma, the study found.

At least one researcher involved in the study said companies who provide ride-sharing scooters have an opportunity to help reduce the number of injuries.

"What I would love to see is the scooter share companies actually promoting their riders to wear helmets, to providing helmets and making helmets accessible and to promoting helmet usage," Dr. Benjamin Breyer said.

Researchers believe the number of injuries may actually be higher because some people may not have gone to the emergency room for treatment.

Contact Us