[E-scooter accidents and their consequences : First prospective analysis of the injury rate and injury patterns in the urban area of a German city with over 1 million residents].

BACKGROUND

Since their approval in Germany in June 2019 e‑scooters have become increasingly more popular; however, with growing popularity and easy access for everybody the number of accidents has increased, sometimes even resulting in severe injuries.

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study was to collect demographic data and analyze injury patterns of accidents due to e‑scooter use in a large German city and to give suggestions on future safety concepts and rules of conduct.

METHODS

All patients who presented at the interdisciplinary emergency room of the Klinikum rechts der Isar, University hospital of the Technical University in Munich between 1 July 2019 and 1 April 2020 after suffering an e‑scooter accident were included in this study. Demographic data as well as information with respect to the trauma mechanism were prospectively collected.

RESULTS

During the study period 60 patients were identified of which 34 (56.7%) were male with an average age of 34.7 years (range 18-73 years) at the time of the accident. Of the patients 22 rode the e‑scooter under the influence of alcohol and only 1 wore a helmet. The head was the most injured body region, followed by the upper and lower extremities and 2 (3.3%) patients were severely injured with an injury severity score (ISS) ≥16.

CONCLUSION

Due to the growing popularity of e‑scooter use more injuries have been registered. The head was the most affected body region, therefore emphasis should be put on wearing a helmet. Furthermore, strict rules and more police controls should take place to identify and reduce the number of accident victims under the influence of alcohol.