Surge in electric bicycle, scooter injuries may be fueled by substance abuse
Key takeaways:
- ED visits related to e-bike and e-scooter injuries tripled from 2019 to 2022.
- Men had higher odds of alcohol and substance use leading to e-bike/e-scooter-related ED visits.
ED visits resulting from electronic bicycle and scooter injuries rose threefold from 2019 to 2022, according to findings from a retrospective analysis published in Injury Prevention.
Alcohol and substance use increased the odds of these ED visits, particularly in men and adolescents.
The results add to the accumulation of research on the growing prevalence of injuries resulting from the micromobility vehicles. Healio previously reported that annual e-scooter accidents rose by over 45% from 2017 to 2022, whereas e-bike accidents increased by 99% during the same period.
However, limited research has been done on the effect of substance and alcohol use on e-bike and e-scooter injuries” Edwin Akomaning, MBChB, from the department of public health at North Dakota State University, and colleagues wrote.
In the analysis, the researchers examined National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) data from 2019 to 2022 to assess annual ED trends, injury details, patient demographics, and alcohol and substance use.
During the study period, 3,700 ED visits related to e-scooter injuries occurred — equal to a nationwide weighted estimate of 279,990 — and 320 ED visits related to e-bike injuries were reported, equal to a nationwide weighted estimate of 16,600.
The higher amount of e-scooter-related ED visits may be due to “the smaller wheel size of e-scooters” compared with e-bikes, which “likely contributes to a higher likelihood of losing balance and sustaining injuries,” Akomaning and colleagues wrote.
They found that ED visits from e-bike and e-scooter injuries increased from a weighted estimate of 22,835 in 2019 to 65,892 in 2022.
Most of the e-bike and e-scooter injuries involved men; people aged 18 to 29 years, and non-Hispanic white individuals .
Alcohol use accompanied 8.6% of ED visits related to e-scooter accidents and 2.5% of ED visits attributed to e-bike incidents.
The researchers noted that, compared with women, men had 2.6 times higher odds of alcohol use (OR = 2.61; 95% CI, 1.84-3.69) and 2.2 times higher odds of substance use (OR = 2.23; 95% CI, 1.19-4.16) leading to e-bike and e-scooter ED visits vs. women.
Results also showed the significant effects of alcohol and substance use on adolescents. Specifically, those aged 10 to 17 years had 7.5 times higher odds of alcohol use (adjusted OR = 7.46; 95% CI, 2.46-22.54) and 4.1 times higher odds of substance use (aOR = 4.06; 95% CI, 1.05-15.73) leading to e-bike and e-scooter ED visits compared with those aged 18 to 39 years.
In comparison, adults aged 40 years or older had a 45% reduced risk for ED visits related to alcohol use (OR = 0.65; 95% CI, 0.52-0.81) and a 40% reduced risk for ED visits related to substance use (OR = 0.6; 95% CI, 0.36-0.98) vs. those aged 18 to 39 years.
“Younger individuals are more likely to be intoxicated, and this impairs their mental and physical health, leading them to engage in risky activities while riding these micromobility devices that can result in injuries,” the researchers wrote.
Alcohol use among non-Hispanic Black people corresponded with a 30% higher risk (OR = 1.3; 95% CI, 1.04-1.63) for e-bike- and e-scooter-related ED visits compared with non-Hispanic white individuals.
Akomaning and colleagues acknowledged some study limitations, such as NEISS database limitations — which included a lack of specific data like units of alcohol and substance use or the mechanisms of injuries — and the analysis’ retrospective design.
Nevertheless, the results “pinpoint the critical importance of targeted interventions to address the combined risks of micromobility device use and substance abuse, with an emphasis on preventing head and other injuries through improved safety measures, education and potentially stricter regulations on impaired riding,” researchers concluded.
References:
- US e-scooter/e-bike injuries have tripled since 2019, fueled by alcohol/substance use. Available at: https://bmjgroup.com/us-e-scooter-e-bike-injuries-have-tripled-since-2019-fuelled-by-alcohol-substance-use/. Published Dec. 9, 2024. Accessed Dec. 10, 2024.
- Akomaning E, et al. Inj Prev. 2024;doi:10.1136/ip-2024-045461.