What to expect? Injury patterns of Electric-Scooter accidents over a period of one year - A prospective monocentric study at a Level 1 Trauma Center

Abstract

Purpose E-scooters are a new type of urban transportation utilized in Germany since June 2019, primarily in larger cities in the context of sharing offers. Such electrically operated standing scooters can be driven at a maximum speed of 20 km/h. A helmet is not mandatory. The aim of this prospective study is to document the injury patterns over the period of 1 year and compare our findings with already available data. Methods Over a period of 1 year (July 2019–July 2020), data on E-scooter-related accidents treated at a level 1 trauma center of a major German city were prospectively documented. Injury patterns were analyzed, and epidemiological data evaluated. Results Fifty-nine (35 female, 24 male) accidents were included in the observation period. Mean age of accident victims was 30.03 years (± 9.32). Alcohol influence at the time of accident was detected in 9 cases (15.25%). Many of the accident victims suffered multiple injuries. Most of the injuries were upper (50.84%) and lower extremity (47.45%) as well as craniofacial injuries (62.71%). A helmet was not worn in any of the cases. Conclusion In the year following their introduction, E-scooter-related accidents have led to an additional burden on the emergency capacities of the involved University Hospital, especially in the summer months of 2019. Protective equipment is de facto not worn. Injuries to the extremities, head, and face were most common. None of the accident victims died. This coincides with results from other major cities in national and international comparison. A more intensive education about injury consequences of unprotected E-scooter use and the discussion of a possible obligation to wear a helmet and further protection equipment for the extremities should take place.

97. E-scooter related facial injuries- A one year review following implementation of a citywide trial

“…9 In the current literature prevalence of facial injuries has been reported between 58%-62.7%. 10,11,12 A study in Hamburg, Germany found that 46% of injuries associated with e-scooters involved the head/facial injuries. 13 A Page 5/9 study in Indianapolis, USA identi ed 89 patients that sustained facial injuries in a 6-month period.…”

Likelihood of Craniofacial Injury and Hospitalization with Alcohol Use While Skateboarding and Scootering

“…Alcohol and drug use while skateboarding or scootering is well reported in descriptive studies to occur concurrently. 7-12 Furthermore, craniofacial injuries are common following skateboard- and scooter-related injury. 1,12-14 Our cross-sectional study is a natural extension of this research as we are the first to report the ORs of sustaining these craniofacial injuries while under the influence of alcohol or drugs.…”

Electric scooter safety: An integrative review of evidence from transport and medical research domains

“…The severity of injuries could be correlated with the typology of collisions and the types of vehicles and road users involved. Head and face injuries are registered as the main types of injuries related to e-scooter collisions (Dhillon et al, 2020;English et al, 2020;Harbrecht et al, 2021;Mebert, Klukowska-Roetzler, Ziegenhorn, & Exadaktylos, 2018). These types of injuries are mainly reported in the medical research domain and are not reflected in transport studies.…”

“…The review of the literature revealed that regulations related to the use of helmets differ based on the geographical distribution (Gössling, 2020;Harbrecht et al, 2021). For example, the use of helmets is different across the US, such as being mandatory for all ages, special age groups (usually <14), or being optional (Sikka, Vila, Stratton, Ghassemi, & Pourmand, 2019).…”