Fatal traffic accidents involving electric scooters in Poland in 2019–2023

• Published in: Injury Vol. 55; no. 11; p. 111836
• Main Authors: Rzepczyk, Szymon, Pawlas, Ksenia, Borowska-Solonynko, Aleksandra, Karnecki, Karol, Cywka, Tomasz, Moskała, Artur, Skowronek, Rafał, Majdanik, Sławomir, Szeremeta, Michał, Dropiewska-Nowak, Anna, Jurczyk, Agnieszka, Żaba, Czesław, Jurek, Tomasz
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier Ltd 01-11-2024
• Subjects: Accidents, Traffic - mortality; Accidents, Traffic - statistics & numerical data; Adult; Craniocerebral Trauma - epidemiology; Craniocerebral Trauma - mortality; E-scooter; Fatalities; Female; Head Protective Devices - statistics & numerical data; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Motorcycles; Poland - epidemiology; Road safety; Traffic accident; Trauma; Wounds and Injuries - epidemiology; Wounds and Injuries - mortality; Poland; Fatalities; Traffic accident; E-scooter; Road safety; Trauma
• ISSN: 0020-1383; 1879-0267; 1879-0267
• DOI: 10.1016/j.injury.2024.111836

•In the period from 2019 to 2023, 9 e-scooter related fatalities were recorded.•Fatal accidents most often occurred during warm months, the victim was usually man.•Driving on the road and colliding with vehicle were the most common circumstances.•The injuries were usually located in the head area.•The most common cause of death was craniocerebral injuries.
With the introduction of mobile applications that allow short-term rentals, electric scooters (e-scooters) are gaining popularity as a means of micromobility in urban areas. The aim of the study was to assess the circumstances and causes of death in traffic accidents involving electric scooters in Poland. The inclusion criteria for the study were met by 9 cases (7 M,2F; mean age: 40.3 years). Accidents usually occur during working days during the warm months, especially during the morning traffic rush hour. Usually, these accidents involved another vehicle (4/9 cases). In addition, the victim was most often the driver (8/9 cases) and rarely uses a helmet (1/9 cases). In only two cases did the test reveal the presence of alcohol in the blood at the time of the accident. In studied cases, head injuries occurred in every case, and injuries to the limbs and chest occurred in more than half of the cases. Within the head, in addition to minor injuries like bruises and epidermal abrasions, skull fractures, and intracranial bleedings predominated. Similar minor injuries were also observed in the extremities, with significant fractures observed only in the lower extremities. Among chest injuries, lung contusions predominated. The most common cause of death was craniocerebral injury (6/9 cases), but there were two deaths each from chest injuries and polytrauma. To increase the safety of e-scooter users, it is recommended that measures be taken to educate users about the potential risks of using the vehicle and that measures be taken to increase the use of helmets, e.g. through legislative action. Further studies involving larger study groups are needed to assess the correlation between potential risk factors and the fatal outcome of the accident.