Comparison of motor-vehicle involved e-scooter fatalities with other traffic fatalities

Shared e-scooters are an emerging mode of transportation with many features that make their physical properties, behavior, and travel patterns unique. Safety concerns have been raised concerning their usage, but it is difficult to understand effective interventions with so little data available.

Using media and police reports, a crash dataset was developed of rented dockless e-scooter fatalities in crashes involving motor vehicles that occurred in the United States in 2018-2019 (n = 17) and the corresponding records from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data were identified. The dataset was used to perform a comparative analysis with other traffic fatalities during the same time period.

Compared to fatalities from other modes of transportation, e-scooter fatality victims are younger and more likely male. More e-scooter fatalities occur at night than any other mode, except pedestrians. E-scooter users are comparatively as likely as other unmotorized vulnerable road users to be killed in a hit-and-run crash. While e-scooter fatalities had the highest proportion of alcohol involvement of any mode, this was not significantly higher than the rate seen in pedestrian and motorcyclist fatalities. E-scooter fatalities were more likely than pedestrian fatalities to be intersection-related, and to involve crosswalks or traffic signals.

E-scooter users share a mix of the same vulnerabilities as both pedestrians and cyclists. Although e-scooter fatalities are demographically most similar to motorcycle fatalities, crash circumstances share more similarities with pedestrian or cyclist fatalities. Other characteristics of e-scooter fatalities are notably distinct from other modes.

E-scooter use must be understood by users and policymakers to be a distinct mode of transportation. This research highlights the similarities and differences between similar modes, like walking and cycling. By using this information on comparative risk, e-scooter riders and policymakers can take strategic action to minimize the number of fatal crashes.