2017 to 2022 Saw Significant Rise in Injuries From E-Bikes, E-Scooters

WEDNESDAY, July 24, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- The number of electric scooter and bicycle injuries increased significant from 2017 to 2022, according to a study published online July 23 in JAMA Network Open.

Adrian N. Fernandez, M.D., from the University of California in San Francisco, and colleagues characterized micromobility injury trends in the United States, including demographic characteristic differences for users of electric and conventional vehicles and factors associated with hospitalization. Analysis included data from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (2017 to 2022).

The researchers found that annual e-bicycle injuries increased from 751 to 23,493, while e-scooter injuries increased from 8,566 to 56,847. Electric vehicle accidents involved older individuals (median age, 31 versus 27 years) and a higher proportion of Black riders (25 versus 12 percent), compared with conventional vehicles. Electric vehicle incidents had lower helmet use compared with conventional vehicles (43 versus 52 percent), and injuries were more common in urban settings (83 versus 71 percent). For Black versus White individuals, age-adjusted odds of hospitalization were 24 percent lower.

"The findings from this study suggest that safer riding infrastructure and rider practices are important to curtail the rise of micromobility injuries," the authors write.

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