E-scooter accidents with personal injury increased by 26.7 percent in 2024

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The number of e-scooter accidents in which people were injured or killed has continued to rise. In 2024, the police in Germany registered 11,944 e-scooter accidents with personal injury –, 26.7% more than in the previous year (9425 accidents). A total of 27 people lost their lives, according to the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis). The number of fatalities has therefore also risen compared to 2023, when 22 people died in e-scooter accidents. 1513 people were seriously injured in such accidents in 2024, 11,433 slightly.

10,886 or 83.9 percent of those involved in accidents were riding the e-scooter themselves, including all 27 fatalities. In addition, 508 or 4.7 percent of the casualties who were riding an e-scooter themselves were passengers. In 2023, 328 or 3.9 percent of those involved in accidents were traveling as passengers on an e-scooter without permission.

Young people are particularly at risk

In 2024, 48.6 percent were under the age of 25 and 82.0 percent were under 45. In contrast, only 3.3 percent were older than 65. By comparison, the proportion of accident victims who were riding a bicycle or pedelec was significantly lower at 21.4 percent who were under 25. At the same time, only 48.3 percent of them were younger than 45, while a significantly larger proportion (20.5 percent) were 65 or older. Apparently, younger people use e-scooters more frequently than older people.

Most frequent cause of accidents: incorrect road use

At 21.2 percent, the most common misconduct was incorrect use of the road or sidewalk. The use of cycle paths or hard shoulders is mandatory, if available, otherwise lanes or hard shoulders, whereas riding on footpaths is prohibited.

Comparatively often, the police detected the influence of alcohol (12.4 percent), compared to 7.8 percent on bicycles and 5.9 percent on unlicensed motorcycles such as mopeds, S-pedelecs and mopeds. According to the police, inappropriate speed was the third most common offense at eight percent, followed by disregarding the right of way at 6.2 percent.

50.5 percent were injured in car collisions

Of the 11,944 e-scooter accidents with personal injury in 2024, 31.4 percent were single-vehicle accidents with no other party involved. 14 out of 27 were fatal. Of those injured, 35.3 percent were single-vehicle accidents.

Others were involved in 7948, or 66.5 percent of all e-scooter accidents with personal injury, mostly in cars (5302 accidents). In collisions with cars, 50.5 percent of the scooter riders involved were injured and seven died. Cyclists were involved in 1140, i.e., 14.3 percent of e-scooter accidents, but only 4.7 percent of those injured on e-scooters were injured.

In accidents involving two people, the person on the e-scooter was primarily at fault in 47.6 percent of cases. In collisions with a car (5,302 accidents), however, they were the main cause in only 35.2 percent of cases. In the 1140 accidents involving cyclists, 72.7 percent were e-scooter drivers and in the 869 accidents involving pedestrians, 87.7 percent were e-scooter drivers.

53.7 percent of e-scooter accidents in large cities

53.7 percent of e-scooter accidents with personal injury in 2024 were registered in cities with a population of at least 100,000 people. Significantly fewer accidents occurred with pedelecs (29.6 percent) or bicycles without an auxiliary motor (45.1 percent). 30.9 percent of e-scooter accidents with personal injury occurred in cities with a population of at least half a million people. In contrast, the figure was 12.2 percent for accidents involving pedelecs and 26.7 percent for bicycles without a motor.

(fpi)