Legalisation of E-Scooters in the UK: The Injury Rate and Pattern Is Similar to Those of Bicycles in an Inner City Metropolitan Area
Rental electric scooters (e-scooters) have become more available to the UK public following amendments to legislation in 2020 affecting rideshare schemes. Existing literature from outside the UK demonstrates a worrying trend of increasing injuries related to their use and non-compliance with suggested safety precautions. An e-scooter rideshare scheme trial began in Liverpool in October 2020. The authors intended to identify the musculoskeletal injury rate and describe the injuries sustained during this pilot. Data were collected retrospectively from electronic patient records on all patients at a major trauma center covering the whole of the Liverpool rideshare trial site presenting with e-scooter and bicycle musculoskeletal injuries between the trial start on 6th October 2020 and 5th May 2021 and between 6th March 2020 and 5th October 2020. Data on rental e-scooter use were obtained from the rideshare operator. Fifty-one patients sustained musculoskeletal injuries involving e-scooters during the trial period and six injuries before the trial. Two-thirds of injuries were on rental e-scooters. The authors calculate an orthopedic injury rate of 26.1 injuries per million km on e-scooters and 24.1 injuries per million km on bicycles. Over 70% of e-scooter patients had upper limb injuries, over 50% had lower limb injuries and 15.7% of patients required surgery. The authors observed an increase in musculoskeletal injuries presenting to hospital during the e-scooter pilot. Rates of musculoskeletal injuries were comparable to rates of injuries sustained on bicycles. E-scooters should be regulated closely and further safety measures introduced to minimize the rate of injuries.
- Record URL:
- Record URL:
-
Availability:
- Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/00333506
-
Supplemental Notes:
- Crown Copyright © 2022 Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of The Royal Society for Public Health. All rights reserved. Abstract reprinted with permission of Elsevier.
-
Authors:
- Bodansky, D M S
- Gach, M W
-
0000-0002-8339-8215
- Grant, M
- Solari, M
- Nebhani, N
- Crouch-Smith, H
- Campbell, M
- Banks, J
- Cheung, G
-
0000-0001-6190-620X
- Publication Date: 2022-5
Language
- English
Media Info
- Media Type: Web
- Features: References;
- Pagination: pp 15-19
-
Serial:
- Public Health
- Volume: 206
- Issue Number: 0
- Publisher: Elsevier
- ISSN: 0033-3506
- Serial URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/00333506
Subject/Index Terms
- TRT Terms: Crash injuries; Electric vehicles; Musculoskeletal system; Scooters; Vehicle sharing
- Geographic Terms: Liverpool (England)
- Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors; Vehicles and Equipment;
Filing Info
- Accession Number: 01842052
- Record Type: Publication
- Files: TRIS
- Created Date: Apr 11 2022 10:44AM