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Updated: Jun 5, 2026
Home-Based Monitor for Gait and Activity Analysis
Published on: August 8, 2019
Results of Injury Surveillance for Personal Mobility Devices and Their Applications
Sangyeon Park1, Jungeun Lee1, Eunhee Jeon1
1Division of Injury Prevention Policy, Department for Health Hazard Response, Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, Cheongju, Korea.
Objectives:
Personal mobility devices (PMDs) have rapidly gained recognition as an innovative and convenient means of transportation. However, the continuous increase in the use of these devices also raises the number of injuries. Therefore, this study aimed to conduct an in-depth analysis of injury surveillance statistics, disseminate the findings, and promote a culture of safe PMD use.
Methods:
The 2023 Emergency Department-Based Injury In-depth Surveillance and Simplified Surveillance and the 2023 Community-Based Severe Trauma Survey were used to analyze the characteristics of patients with PMD-related injuries.
Results:
Analysis of injury surveillance data revealed that accidents involving "other land transport," including PMDs, increased 4.7-fold, from 388 (0.8%) cases in 2016 to 1,820 (6.8%) cases in 2023. The proportion of "other land transport" among all transport-related accidents increased 8.5-fold, from 0.8% to 6.8%. Similarly, the number of patients with severe trauma caused by PMDs and other related devices increased from 34 (0.7%) in 2016 to 103 (2.6%) in 2023, representing nearly a threefold increase. Among cases of severe trauma that were classified as "other," the primary injury site was the head (64.8% in 2023). Furthermore, the simplified surveillance findings revealed that the highest proportion of injured patients (40.4%) were aged 15-24 years, with the majority (86.3%) using electric scooters. The proportion of those not wearing helmets (75.0%) was 6.7 times higher than that of helmet users (11.2%). Based on the analysis results, leaflets and informational notices containing the PMD safety guidelines were distributed and a short-form promotional video for the "Hel-sseu" (#WearHelmet) campaign was posted on the official Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency YouTube channel (Apjima TV).
Conclusions:
To prevent injuries and severe trauma associated with PMD use, wearing helmets and other protective gear is extremely crucial. Continuous efforts in education and public awareness campaigns by relevant government agencies are required to promote safe PMD use.
