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Almost all electric scooter drivers who crash do not wear helmets
Helmet use was “extremely rare” and alcohol consumption beyond the legal limit and illicit substance use “was common” among electric or motorized scooter drivers involved in accidents. In addition, extremity fractures were the most frequent injury among these patients, researchers said.
The findings were published in Trauma Surgery & Acute Care Open.
"Since their release in 2017, standing electric motorized scooters (eScooters) have risen in popularity as an alternative mode of transportation," Leslie M Kobayashi, MD, of the department of general surgery at the University of California San Diego, and colleagues wrote.
"With state and local governments rapidly responding to this shakeup of the transportation industry, there is a strong need for safety data to help guide this legislation,” they added.
Researchers reviewed 103 admissions of eScooter drivers (mean age, 37.1 years; 65% men) involved in accidents to three U.S.-based major trauma centers.
Kobayashi and colleagues found that 98% were not wearing a helmet. In addition, 79% of patients were tested for alcohol, and of those, 48% had a blood alcohol level of more than 80 mg/dL. Also, 60% of patients had a urine toxicology screen, and of those, 52% tested positive.
Regarding patients’ injuries, 42% were extremity fractures, 26% were facial fractures, and 18% were intracranial hemorrhages. The median Injury Severity Score was 5.5 and the median length of hospital stay was 1 day.
“Interventions aimed at increasing helmet use and discouraging eScooter operation while intoxicated are necessary to reduce the burden of eScooter-related trauma,” Kobayashi and colleagues wrote. – by Janel Miller
Disclosures: The authors report no relevant financial disclosures.