E-scooters: Half of people hospitalised after accident had little or no experience on roads
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Medical staff have warned about the dangers of e-scooters as new research shows that 1 in 5 of patients who attended a hospital with a significant injury from a collision involving one of the vehicles were initially unconscious.
Research on 15 cases of serious injuries suffered in a collision involving an e-scooter by doctors at the Mater Misercordiae University Hospital and Cappagh National Orthopaedic Hospital in Dublin also revealed that more than half of patients had little or no experience of using e-scooters.
Three patients were using an e-scooter for the first time when the collision happened.
Doctors claimed it was shocking that only four patients were wearing a helmet, despite the relatively high speeds used by most riders.
One patient claimed they were travelling at 60km/h at the times of the collision but the majority were travelling at 20km/h - a speed considered likely to be the maximum allowed on Irish roads when legislation regulating the use of e-scooters is enacted.
Doctors at the Mater said it was fortunate that no patient involved in an e-scooter collision needed to be intubated or admitted to the hospital’s intensive care unit.
Two patients were found to have taken alcohol and recreational drugs shortly before their accident.
The authors of the study claimed their findings meant steps should be taken to protect e-scooter users which they recommended could include basic mandatory training and use of personal protection equipment.
The study, which is published in the latest edition of the , comes just days after the Government announced that it had a new Road Traffic Bill which will introduce legislation for e-scooters on Irish roads for the first time.
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Doctors at the Mater documented 15 patients with injuries sustained from using an e-scooter between July 2020 and January 2021.
One of the patients was brought to the hospital by ambulance, although the remainder self-presented at the Mater’s emergency department.
The average age of patients was 40.4 years with the youngest aged 23 years and the oldest at 65 years.
Females accounted for eight of the 15 cases.
All patients stated they had lights on their e-scooters but none admitted wearing reflective or high-viz clothing.
Two patients reportedly lost control of their e-scooter for unknown reasons and crashed into a street pole, while another crashed into a car pulling out.
Two-thirds of patients suffered falls due to road conditions such as uneven surfaces.
The research also found that 60% of patients had a pre-existing health condition.
Three-fifth of those involved in collisions with their e-scooters suffered injuries to their upper body.
The authors of the report said they would share their findings with government agencies with responsibility for road safety to guide safety and awareness planning for all road users.
They noted that numbers using e-scooters are likely to increase substantially with the easing of lockdown restrictions and legislation for their use on public roads.