SUMMARY:
Urban electric
( battery powered )
scooter injuries
have increased
+222% in the
past four years,
according to
a recently
published
study.
Hospital
admissions
from scooter
accidents were
up +365% in the
past four years.
The main problem
is lots of drunk
and drug crazed
people zipping
about without
helmets, causing
serious accidents
and without helmets
those accidents
cause too many
serious injuries.
The e-scooters
also cause an
INCREASE of
CO2 emissions.
DETAILS:
There were nearly
40,000 electric scooter
injuries in the U.S.,
between 2014 and 2018,
according to a study
published in the journal
JAMA Surgery recently.
In 2014,
there were
4,582 injuries,
In 2018,
there were
14,651 injuries.
That’s up +222%
over the four-year
period !
The number
of hospital
admissions
from accidents
has also
skyrocketed
to almost 3,300,
a surge of 365%
over the same
period.
So, in 2018
there were
14,651 injuries,
and
3,300 people
had to be
hospitalized.
The survey,
conducted by
by researchers
UC San Francisco,
analyzed data
taken from the
National Electronic
Injury Surveillance
System,
a project
led by the
US Consumer
Product Safety
Commission
to monitor
the safety of
consumer goods.
"The e-merging
e-pidemic
of e-scooters"
was written by
Leslie M Kobayashi,
Elliot Williams,
Carlos V Brown,
Brent J Emigh,
Vishal Bansal,
Jayraan Badiee,
Kyle D Checchi,
Edward M Castillo,
Jay Doucet
From the Abstract:
"Introduction:
Since their release in 2017, standing electric motorized scooters (eScooters) have risen in popularity as an alternative mode of transportation. We sought to examine the incidence of injury, injury patterns, prevalence of helmet and drug and alcohol use in eScooter trauma.
Methods:
This was a multi-institutional retrospective case series of patients admitted for injuries related to operation of an eScooter following the widespread release of these devices in September 2017 (September 1, 2017 to October 31, 2018). Demographics, drug and alcohol use, helmet use, admission vitals, injuries, procedures, hospital and intensive care unit length of stay (LOS), death, and disposition were analyzed.
Results:
103 patients were admitted during the study period, and monthly admissions increased significantly over time. Patients were young men (mean age 37.1 years; 65% male), 98% were not wearing a helmet. Median LOS was 1 day (IQR 1–3). 79% of patients were tested for alcohol and 48% had a blood alcohol level >80 mg/dL. 60% of patients had a urine toxicology screen, of which 52% were positive. Extremity fractures were the most frequent injury (42%), followed by facial fractures (26%) and intracranial hemorrhage (18%). Median Injury Severity Score was 5.5 (IQR 5–9). One-third of patients (n=34) required an operative intervention, the majority of which were open fixations of extremity and facial fractures. No patients died during the study. The majority of patients were discharged home (86%).
Conclusion:
eScooter-related trauma has significantly increased over time. Alcohol and illicit substance use among these patients was common, and helmet use was extremely rare. Significant injuries including intracranial hemorrhage and fractures requiring operative intervention were present in over half (51%) of patients. Interventions aimed at increasing helmet use and discouraging eScooter operation while intoxicated are necessary to reduce the burden of eScooter-related trauma."
For a few years
the e-scooter
companies
have touted
their scooters
as convenient,
and also good news
for the environment.
According
to studies,
many people
use e-scooters
as an alternative
to cleaner forms
of transportation,
such as biking,
walking and
taking the bus.
About 40%
of scooter rides
have replaced
biking or walking
trips in both
San Francisco,
California,
and
Portland,
Oregon,
according to
recent municipal
surveys.
A survey from Paris
found that 85% of
scooter rides replaced
either walking, biking
or public transit trips.
The e-scooter
companies,
such as Lime,
Bird and Wheels.
must manufacture
better, more robust
e-scooters,
if they want
their riders to
increasingly use
their devices
instead of
driving cars.
Read more: