A study published in the JAMA Surgery journal found that in one year, emergency room-treated injuries related to scooter accidents jumped from about 8,000 to about 16,000. A third of those scooter injuries in 2018 were head injuries, as compared to only about one-sixth of injuries suffered in bicycle accidents the same year. The authors of the study speculated that it is far more common for cyclists to wear a helmet and that the upright stance required to ride a scooter makes it difficult for a rider to protect their heads in accidents.
The same study found that fractures, bruises, abrasions, and scrapes were the next leading injuries. A CDC study also found that head injuries were the most common injury suffered by scooter riders, followed by upper extremity fractures, and then lower extremity fractures. A second CDC study with a smaller sample found with less specificity that nearly half of those riders injured in a scooter accident suffered a severe injury “such as a broken leg.”
