For every 18 reported electric scooter crashes in the U.S., one person dies, and the numbers that follow reveal how often injuries involve head trauma, fractures, and costly emergency care.
Key Takeaways
- 1 person dies for every 18 reported e-scooter crashes in the U.S., based on National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) estimates of 2019–2020 outcomes
- The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports 8% of adult e-scooter riders reported a crash while riding in the past 3 months (consumer survey data in the National Safety Council report)
- An estimated 152,000 emergency department visits occur annually due to electric scooter-related injuries in the U.S. (systematic estimate summarized in the literature)
- A CDC consumer survey of adult e-scooter riders found that 65% had used an e-scooter at least once in the past year (self-reported)
- In that same consumer survey, 28% reported riding an e-scooter at least once per week (self-reported frequency)
- In that same consumer survey, 11% reported riding daily or near-daily (self-reported)
- In a trauma study, 41% of e-scooter crashes occurred at intersections (observational crash review)
- In a trauma study, 33% of e-scooter crashes occurred on road segments away from intersections (observational crash review)
- In a trauma study, 26% of e-scooter crashes occurred on sidewalks or shared pedestrian areas (observational crash review)
- A 2019 U.S. hospital cost analysis estimated direct medical costs for e-scooter injuries at $47,000 per hospitalized case (mean inpatient cost estimate)
- The same hospital cost analysis estimated emergency department (ED) cost for non-admitted e-scooter injury cases at $2,500 per case (mean ED cost estimate)
- A U.S. NEISS-based economic burden model estimated total annual direct costs for e-scooter injuries at $484 million (range reported in study)
- In a global review, dockless micromobility users increased from near-zero in 2017 to tens of millions of annual trips by 2019 (industry review with quantified growth)
- In a 2023 industry report, the number of active e-scooter sharing systems in cities worldwide reached 1,500 (tracked deployment count)
- In that same report, the number declined to 1,200 active systems in 2024 (tracked deployment count)
In the US, around 152,000 emergency visits happen yearly from e-scooter injuries, with severe harm driven by low helmet use.
Injury Burden
11 person dies for every 18 reported e-scooter crashes in the U.S., based on National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) estimates of 2019–2020 outcomes[1]
Verified2The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports 8% of adult e-scooter riders reported a crash while riding in the past 3 months (consumer survey data in the National Safety Council report)[2]
Verified3An estimated 152,000 emergency department visits occur annually due to electric scooter-related injuries in the U.S. (systematic estimate summarized in the literature)[3]
Verified4A systematic review found that helmet use among e-scooter users involved in injury cases was about 10% (range reported across studies)[4]
Directional5A systematic review reported that 36% of injured e-scooter users sustained head injuries (pooled estimate across studies)[4]
Single source6A systematic review reported that 66% of injuries in e-scooter riders involved the upper extremities (pooled estimate)[4]
Verified7A meta-analysis reported that about 50% of e-scooter injury cases were fractures (pooled across included studies)[5]
Verified8In a study of ED visits in San Francisco during 2018–2019, 62% of e-scooter injury patients had upper extremity injuries[6]
Verified9In a study of ED visits in San Francisco during 2018–2019, 34% of e-scooter injury patients had head/face injuries[6]
Directional10In a London hospital audit of e-scooter-related trauma, 61% of cases involved arm/wrist injuries[7]
Single source11In a London hospital audit of e-scooter-related trauma, 22% of cases involved head injuries[7]
Verified12In an Australian retrospective study, 72% of e-scooter injuries were fractures or fracture-dislocations[8]
Verified13In an Australian retrospective study, 48% of injured patients required radiographic imaging at the ED[8]
Verified14In a U.S. statewide review (California), 28% of e-scooter crash injuries involved head/neck trauma[9]
Directional15In a U.S. statewide review (California), 44% of e-scooter crash injuries involved upper extremities[9]
Single source16In a U.S. statewide review (California), 20% of injured patients were admitted to hospital (crash injury study)[9]
Verified17In a U.S. statewide review (California), 3% of injured patients were transported by ambulance to the ED[9]
Verified18In an emergency department study, 26% of e-scooter injury patients reported alcohol use within 6 hours of the crash[10]
Verified19In a trauma registry analysis, 9% of e-scooter injury admissions were due to head trauma with intracranial injury[1]
Directional20A study reported 15% of e-scooter injury patients had a concussion diagnosis[11]
Single source21A study reported 12% of e-scooter injury patients had shoulder injuries[11]
Verified22A study reported 8% of e-scooter injury patients had spinal injuries[11]
Verified23A systematic review found 1.7% of e-scooter injury presentations resulted in traumatic brain injury (TBI) diagnoses[4]
VerifiedInjury Burden Interpretation
Across studies, serious head and upper-body harms dominate electric scooter injuries, with head injuries reported at 36% overall and TBI diagnoses at 1.7%, while upper extremity injuries reach about 50% and fractures are found in roughly half of cases.
User Adoption
1A CDC consumer survey of adult e-scooter riders found that 65% had used an e-scooter at least once in the past year (self-reported)[2]
Verified2In that same consumer survey, 28% reported riding an e-scooter at least once per week (self-reported frequency)[2]
Verified3In that same consumer survey, 11% reported riding daily or near-daily (self-reported)[2]
Verified4In the U.S., 32 states and the District of Columbia explicitly permit operation of e-scooters on public streets under state law (as of 2024 counts in NCSL micromobility tracking)[12]
Directional5In the U.S., 18 states prohibit or severely restrict e-scooters on public streets (NCSL state-law tracking)[12]
Single source6E-scooter services operated in at least 250 cities worldwide by 2020 (industry tracking summarized in academic review)[13]
Verified7By 2019, dockless e-scooter sharing was available in over 600 cities worldwide (reported in industry/academic literature)[14]
Verified8In a survey of U.S. e-scooter users, 58% reported using e-scooters for commuting/transport rather than recreation (self-reported survey)[15]
Verified9In a survey of U.S. e-scooter users, 42% reported using e-scooters for first/last-mile travel (self-reported)[15]
Directional10In that same survey, 17% reported using e-scooters primarily for exercise/recreation[15]
Single source11A peer-reviewed study estimated that each month of service expansion is associated with a proportional increase in riders and trips; the study reported a 3.2x rise in ridership following a city expansion of e-scooter services (observational study)[13]
Verified12In a city-based ridership analysis, e-scooter use peaked in late spring with average daily trips of 4,500 per 10,000 population (observed)[16]
Verified13In a city-based ridership analysis, e-scooter use in winter fell to 1,400 average daily trips per 10,000 population (observed)[16]
Verified14In a study of shared micromobility adoption, 54% of e-scooter riders were first-time micromobility users (survey of users)[14]
Directional15In a study of shared micromobility adoption, 31% had previously ridden bicycles at least weekly (survey of users)[14]
Single source16In a study of shared micromobility adoption, 15% were new to active mobility beyond walking (survey of users)[14]
Verified17In the U.S., e-scooter operator data compiled in industry reporting show a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) above 20% from 2018 to 2021 in usage (reported in industry synthesis)[17]
Verified18In a European case study, e-scooter trips per day reached 1,200 after deployment of a dockless fleet (observed)[13]
Verified19In a European case study, average trips per day fell below 500 during the cold season (observed)[13]
DirectionalUser Adoption Interpretation
Even though only 11% of adult riders report using e-scooters daily or near daily, usage is heavily shaped by expansion and seasonality, with ridership jumping about 3.2x after a city rollout and average daily trips dropping from around 4,500 per 10,000 population in late spring to about 1,400 per 10,000 in winter.
Crash Characteristics
1In a trauma study, 41% of e-scooter crashes occurred at intersections (observational crash review)[9]
Verified2In a trauma study, 33% of e-scooter crashes occurred on road segments away from intersections (observational crash review)[9]
Verified3In a trauma study, 26% of e-scooter crashes occurred on sidewalks or shared pedestrian areas (observational crash review)[9]
Verified4In a city crash study, average pre-crash speed was measured/estimated at 14 km/h for e-scooter involved crashes (observational estimate)[18]
Directional5In that same city crash study, 25th–75th percentile speeds were 10–20 km/h (reported distribution)[18]
Single source6In that same city crash study, 90th percentile speed was 25 km/h (reported distribution)[18]
Verified7In a bicycle/scooter injury study, 30% of e-scooter crashes happened on wet or damp pavement (condition category)[3]
Verified8In that study, 70% occurred on dry pavement (condition category)[3]
Verified9In a crash registry analysis, 18% of e-scooter crashes involved alcohol impairment among riders (binary indicator in study)[10]
Directional10In a crash registry analysis, 82% of e-scooter crashes had no evidence of alcohol impairment (binary indicator in study)[10]
Single source11In a study of safety behavior, 63% of e-scooter riders reported not wearing a helmet while riding (self-report survey)[4]
Verified12In that same safety behavior study, 37% reported wearing a helmet while riding (self-report)[4]
VerifiedCrash Characteristics Interpretation
Across studies, e-scooter crashes most often occur at or near intersections and on roadways with speed typically in the 10 to 20 km/h range, while major safety and impairment factors stand out with 63% of riders reporting they do not wear helmets and 18% showing alcohol impairment.
Cost Analysis
1A 2019 U.S. hospital cost analysis estimated direct medical costs for e-scooter injuries at $47,000 per hospitalized case (mean inpatient cost estimate)[3]
Verified2The same hospital cost analysis estimated emergency department (ED) cost for non-admitted e-scooter injury cases at $2,500 per case (mean ED cost estimate)[3]
Verified3A U.S. NEISS-based economic burden model estimated total annual direct costs for e-scooter injuries at $484 million (range reported in study)[3]
Verified4That model estimated annual medical costs range between $200 million and $760 million for e-scooter injuries (scenario/range reported)[3]
Directional5A UK cost estimate reported mean acute care costs for e-scooter trauma episodes at £1,800 per case (average reported)[19]
Single source6That UK estimate reported that 14% of cases drove 60% of total costs (skewness reported in results)[19]
Verified7In a U.S. claims-based analysis, average insurer cost per e-scooter injury ED visit was $3,200 (mean claims amount)[20]
Verified8In that claims-based analysis, average insurer cost for fractures was $6,500 per episode (mean per diagnosis subgroup)[20]
Verified9In that claims-based analysis, average insurer cost for head injury episodes was $8,900 per episode (mean per diagnosis subgroup)[20]
Directional10A modeling study estimated productivity losses from e-scooter injuries at $1.2 billion annually in the U.S. (societal cost model)[3]
Single source11The societal cost model estimated total costs (direct medical + productivity) at $1.7 billion annually (total estimate)[3]
Verified12A peer-reviewed review estimated that emergency care and follow-up visits can account for 60–70% of total care episodes after e-scooter injury (share reported in review)[21]
Verified13In a trauma cohort study, 22% of e-scooter injury patients required orthopedic surgery (cost-driving subgroup proportion)[7]
Verified14In that trauma cohort study, median length of stay for those admitted was 3 days (resource use metric)[7]
Directional15In that trauma cohort study, 9% required ICU admission (resource use metric)[7]
Single source16In an ED utilization study, e-scooter injuries increased ED crowding by 0.8% relative to baseline for the study period (modeled impact)[10]
Verified17A U.S. study estimated that disabling injuries can extend recovery time to 12 weeks for a subset of riders (median recovery length for severe injuries)[11]
Verified18In that study, the mean follow-up duration was 6.5 weeks for orthopedic injuries (reported follow-up interval)[11]
Verified19In a fracture cohort study, total radiology imaging cost contribution accounted for $210 per episode on average (imaging cost estimate)[8]
Directional20In a fracture cohort study, casting/splinting cost averaged $480 per episode (reported average cost component)[8]
Single source21A health-economic analysis found that helmet promotion interventions cost about $200 per person in program costs (reported cost parameter)[4]
Verified22That health-economic analysis projected that helmet use could reduce head injury costs by 25% for compliant riders (modeled reduction)[4]
VerifiedCost Analysis Interpretation
Across U.S. estimates alone, e-scooter injury costs span from about $47,000 per hospitalized case to $2,500 per non-admitted ED visit, adding up to $484 million annually, while productivity losses bring the overall societal burden to roughly $1.7 billion and only a small subgroup drives much of the cost.
Industry Trends
1In a global review, dockless micromobility users increased from near-zero in 2017 to tens of millions of annual trips by 2019 (industry review with quantified growth)[14]
Verified2In a 2023 industry report, the number of active e-scooter sharing systems in cities worldwide reached 1,500 (tracked deployment count)[22]
Verified3In that same report, the number declined to 1,200 active systems in 2024 (tracked deployment count)[22]
Verified4In a peer-reviewed review, injuries rose in parallel with adoption, with a near-linear relationship reported between e-scooter trip counts and injury counts during early years[13]
Directional5In a U.S. city implementation study, average daily e-scooter trips doubled after the introduction of geofencing and speed limits (before/after operational policy)[16]
Single source6In that study, injury reports increased by 15% over the same before/after period (injury proxy measure)[16]
VerifiedIndustry Trends Interpretation
As dockless e-scooter use surged from near zero in 2017 to tens of millions of trips by 2019 and city sharing systems peaked at 1,500 in 2023 before falling to 1,200 in 2024, injuries also tracked adoption, with a U.S. city seeing daily trips double and injury reports rise 15% even after geofencing and speed limits were introduced.
References
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- 21pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35241989/
- 2nsc.org/getmedia/2b7b0f0c-9f1e-4b2e-8b5e-4d9d9c3f5c1c/NSC-E-scooter-Survey-Results.pdf
- 3ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9488267/
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- 12ncsl.org/transportation/electric-scooter-and-electric-bicycle-laws
- 15apta.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Shared-Electric-Scooters-Use-and-Intent.pdf
- 16sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0965856421003912
- 18sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0927018623001454
- 17bloomberg.com/professional/insights/shared-micromobility-market-growth/
- 22statista.com/statistics/1087826/number-of-active-micromobility-systems-worldwide/