Motor vehicle-related electric scooter injuries in the US: A descriptive analysis of NEISS data

The introduction of scooter-share programs across the United States has led to an increased incidence of electronic scooter (e-scooter) injuries presenting to emergency departments (EDs). As legislation begins to push scooters from the sidewalk to the street, injuries resulting from collisions between e-scooters and motor vehicles are an important, but poorly characterized consideration. This study leverages data from a national injury surveillance system to characterize e-scooter versus motor vehicle collisions resulting in ED presentation.

This study utilizes data from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS). NEISS was queried for e-scooter-related injuries from January 1st, 2015 through December 31st, 2019. Injuries were characterized as motor vehicle-related (MV-involved) or non-motor-vehicle-related (MV-uninvolved) based on a manual review by the study investigators. Weighted tabular analyses were used to characterize both types of e-scooter injuries across demographic, diagnostic, and event-related factors.

Over the study period an estimated 60,554 (95% CI: 37,525-84,594) injuries were treated in US EDs. Approximately 19% of these injuries involved motor vehicles. Those sustaining MV-involved injuries were significantly younger (p = 0.01), with a higher proportion of males injured (p = 0.01). Additionally, when compared to MV-uninvolved injuries, a significantly higher proportion of those with MV-involved injuries were admitted to the hospital for treatment (8.8% vs. 14.6%, p < 0.01). MV-involved injuries occurred primarily in the street (96.3%), while MV-uninvolved injuries were split across streets (44.0%), at one's home (~20%), and on public property (~20%) (p < 0.01).

Electric scooter injuries involving a motor vehicle differed from those that did not across several key categories. As e-scooters and motor vehicles start to share the road more frequently, greater consideration should be made regarding how these two modes of transportation interact with each other. The promotion of thoughtful e-scooter legislation and infrastructure changes could help promote safer travel.