[E-scooter, e-bike and bicycle injuries in the same period-A prospective analysis of a level 1 trauma center]

The actual number of accidents in e‑scooter drivers in Germany seems to be significantly higher than the current figures from the Statistisches Bundesamt suggest. This epidemiological study examines e‑scooter injuries and compares them with e‑bike and bicycle injuries.

In order to create a comparable database on the dangers of e‑scooters, e‑bikes and bicycles, the typical injury patterns were analyzed and prevention options derived from them.

All accidents involving e‑scooters, e‑bikes and bicycles that were presented via the university emergency room of a level 1 trauma center between 15 June 2019 and 31 October 2020 were prospectively investigated.

In our study, 68 accidents in e‑scooter drivers were included, of which only 11.8% (n = 8) were recorded by the police. Significantly more of them were male than female (p = 0.032) with a mean age of 31.1 (±13) years. At the same time, we registered 34 accidents in e‑bike riders and 356 in cyclists. In all three groups, most injuries occurred to the head, followed by injuries to the upper extremities. Significantly more e‑scooter drivers had an ISS ≥ 16 than in the group of injured cyclists (p = 0.016). E‑scooter riders who had an accident had a significantly longer length of stay in hospital, than e‑bike riders (p = 0.003) and cyclists (p = 0.001), 52.9% (n = 18) of e‑bike riders and 53.3% (n = 113) cyclists wore a helmet, compared to only 1.5% (n = 1) of e‑scooter riders. The most common cause of accidents among e‑bike riders (17.7%; n = 6) and cyclists (10.4%; n = 37) was slipping away on tram rails, while for e‑scooter riders it was colliding with a curb (7.4%; n = 5).

The three patient collectives examined showed different causes and profiles of injuries. The reasons for an increased proportion of seriously injured people compared to cyclists are electromobility, driving under the influence of alcohol and inadequate wearing of a helmet on e‑scooters when head injuries dominate. 73.5% (n = 50) of the e‑scooter accidents recorded by us were not registered by the police and therefore do not appear in the current statistics of the statistisches Bundesamt. As a result, a much higher number of e‑scooter accidents can be assumed. Preventive measures could include the introduction of compulsory helmets, a higher number of traffic controls and the expansion of bike tracks.