Surprising trend Reckless driving mostly to blame for e-scooter accidents

According to a Swedish study, taking your hand off the handlebars of an e-scooter or whizzing around with others significantly increases the risk of accidents. One trend surprises the researchers.

Keystone-SDA

28.03.2025, 05:33

28.03.2025, 06:20

SDA

According to a study, accidents involving e-scooters are mostly caused by the careless behavior of the drivers involved. As researchers from Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg report in a new study, one-handed riding, riding in a group and touring with a smartphone in hand are among the biggest risk factors.

The scientists were also surprised by drivers who deliberately caused accidents or dangerous situations. This phenomenon can be observed specifically with e-scooters, according to the study, which analyzed data from almost 7,000 trips with rental scooters in Gothenburg. Those who do not own the scooter themselves are probably less concerned about the consequences of accidents.

In recent years, e-scooters have conquered numerous large cities in Europe and established themselves as an alternative means of transportation, especially for short distances. The initial boom was accompanied by a lot of criticism regarding safety and a lack of clarity about the framework conditions for where and how the electric scooters may be ridden.

Special caution in fall and winterOver half of all e-scooter accidents occur in the dark

Risky pleasure rides

It is important to understand that e-scooters not only meet mobility needs in cities, but are also ridden simply for pleasure, explained one of the authors of the study, Marco Dozza. "Unfortunately, it is clear that in some cases recreational riding leads to dangerous behaviors that increase the risk of accidents." E-scooter riders are significantly more likely to engage in strange and dangerous driving behavior than other road users.

However, the study also makes it clear that the vast majority of scooter riders do not exhibit risky behavior. The study was funded by the Swedish Transport Administration.

More e-scooters - more accidents

In addition to scooters from various rental companies, more and more private e-scooters are now whizzing through the streets of Germany: According to the German Insurance Association (GDV), there were around 780,000 of the vehicles subject to compulsory insurance in the country in 2023, an increase of 37 percent compared to the previous year. The number of rental scooters rose by nine percent to 210,000.

The larger number of vehicles also means more traffic accidents: According to the Federal Statistical Office, the number of e-scooter accidents with injuries rose from 8443 in 2022 to 9439 in 2023. In general, however, this is still only a small proportion of the total number of accidents.