Males aged from 10 to 19 are most at risk as new figures show a rise in the number of e-scooter crashes

THE number of people injured in e-scooter collisions has more than doubled in Leicestershire.

In 2020, just eight people were injured in collisions involving e-scooters. However, that rose to 17 last year.

It is illegal to use a privately owned e-scooter on public roads, as well as on pavements or in cycle lanes.

The only exception to this is using rental e-scooters as part of government-run trials of e-scooters which are taking place in various areas.

Scooters in these trials are limited to 15.5mph, although some may have restrictions limiting them further; users must have a full or provisional licence, and it is recommended they wear a cycle helmet. There are no trials ongoing in Leicestershire.

Across Britain, there were 1,280 collisions involving e-scooters, compared with 460 in 2020. Most of the casualties were the scooter users.

The collisions claimed 1,359 casualties, compared with 484 in 2020. Last year, 309 collisions involved only one e-scooter and no other vehicles, compared with 83 in 2020.

Of all casualties in collisions involving e-scooters, 1,034 were e-scooter users, compared with 384 in 2020. Among others injured were 223 pedestrians, 64 cyclists, 14 motorcyclists and 17 people in cars.

Across Britain, nine people were killed in collisions involving e-scooters, all of them e-scooter riders, compared with one in 2020.

The Department of Transport (DfT), which puts together the data, says its best estimate, after adjusting for changes in reporting by police, is that there were also 390 people seriously injured and 960 slightly injured in 2021, compared with 129 and 354 respectively in 2020.

Of those slightly injured in collisions, common injuries include cuts, bruising, and sprains. More serious injuries include head injuries or broken limbs. Three people suffered a broken neck or back and three had internal injuries last year.

Injured e-scooter users who were were much more likely to be men about three quarters of casualties, where gender was recorded. They were most likely to be aged between 10 and 19, followed by those aged 20 to 29.

Given the age profile of users involved in crashes, it is perhaps not surprising that collisions peak around school run times, at 8am and 4pm.

There is an upward trend starting at 6am and ending at 4pm with a dip at 10am, followed by a downward trend from 4pm to 10pm.

The age range of people injured in collisions, other than scooter users, was more broad, with similar numbers in each age band from zero to nine through to 70-plus.

The picture may change as the police finish updating their figures, but even the updated figures are likely to be an underestimate of the number of collisions and injuries. E-scooters are not one of the designated vehicle types collected in a reportable accident and would be classed as “other vehicle”.

Guidance to police encourages them to identify e-scooters, rather than recording more general descriptions such as “scooter”.

As well as this, the DfT said a considerable percentage of non-fatal casualties are not reported to the police. Non-fatal casualties for e-scooter users are among the most likely to be underreported in road casualty data since riders are under no obligation to inform the police of collisions.

Given the age profile of users involved in crashes, it is perhaps not surprising that collisions peak around school run times, at 8am and 4pm