Injuries from electric scooters have spiked 222% in recent years

As electric scooters have grown in abundance, especially in cities, a new study finds that the injuries to people riding them have also increased. Between 2014-2018, there were nearly 40,000 e-scooter injuries treated in emergency rooms across the U.S., an increase in injury rate over that time period of more than 220%. The vast majority of these injuries were seen in urban hospitals, and almost two-thirds of those who were hurt were men. The head and lower extremities were the most common injury sites, while fractures, contusions, and abrasions made up the most common injury types. The study didn’t look at how people became injured or whether they were wearing helmets, but given the frequency of head injuries, researchers recommend better education about helmet use.