Injuries from nonmotorized scooters treated in emergency departments in the United States, 2005-2020

In the past decade scholarly attention has shifted away from examining injuries from nonmotorized scooters to injuries from electric scooters. This has resulted in a knowledge gap concerning current levels of injury due to the use of nonmotorized scooters. This study presents recent trend data and demographics of patients treated for injuries from nonmotorized scooters in US Emergency Departments (EDs) from 2005 to 2020.

The study examines data from a probability sample of hospitals with an ED under the auspices of the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS). NEISS generates annual national estimates of the incidence of injuries related to nonmotorized scooters. The NEISS data set includes demographic and diagnostic information about each patient as well as a narrative surrounding the circumstances surrounding the injury.

Injuries from unpowered scooters in the United States have undergone a decline in the past decade. However, as data from this study reveals, injuries from nonmotorized scooters still constitute a substantial source of morbidity in the United States, totaling approximately 40,000 annually. Males and children in the age group 5 to 9 were found to be most likely to be injured. The most frequent type of diagnosis was "fracture" (26.4%), followed by "contusions/abrasions" (21.7%) and "laceration" (21.4%). The most common site of injury was the head, neck, or face (32%), followed in descending order by the forearm (28%), the leg (17.3%), the arm (9.8%), and the thigh (7.7%). The gender disparity in injuries to the head region was particularly pronounced. Among those who sustained a head or facial injury, more than two-thirds (68.6%) were male and this disparity persists even when controlling for age. Over time, the geographic location of injuries has shifted downwards from the home and increased in "places or recreation or sport" or "other public places."

Injuries from nonmotorized in the United States are still sizeable in number and can be prevented by greater use of protective equipment. Injuries predominate among males and children in the age category of 5 to 9.