Substance Use Fuels E-Scooter Injuries

As electric scooters zoom through city streets nationwide, a concerning trend follows: emergency rooms are seeing a surge in alcohol and drug-related e-scooter injuries. Whether personally owned or rented through sharing services, these high-speed vehicles have become increasingly popular in urban areas, raising concerns about rider and pedestrian safety.

Edwin Akomaning and colleagues investigated emergency department visits for e-scooter and e-bike injuries across the United States from 2019 to 2022. Using data from approximately 100 hospital emergency departments, they analyzed injury patterns and their association with alcohol and substance use.

The study revealed a dramatic three-fold increase in e-scooter injuries, from about 23,000 in 2019 to nearly 66,000 in 2022. Even without substance involvement, e-scooters pose significant risks due to their small wheel size and high speeds, making riders particularly vulnerable to losing balance and sustaining injuries. Alcohol was present in 8.6% of individuals with e-scooter injuries and in 2.5% of e-bike injuries. Young males aged 18-39 with injuries were 2.6 times more likely to have alcohol use discovered during ED visits.

The figure tracks the trend of substance-related e-scooter injuries from 2019-2022. It shows how alcohol-related injuries initially dominated but were joined by a rising trend in other substance use by mid-2020. The combined impact of alcohol and drug use peaked during the COVID-19 pandemic.

While some cities have implemented safety measures for rental services, including innovative in-app sobriety tests, and integrated alternative transport options, the rising popularity of personal e-scooters requires broader policy approaches. Education campaigns, enforcement of impaired riding laws, and expanded late-night transportation alternatives could help reduce these preventable e-scooter injuries.