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Are there statistics for accidents, injuries and deaths involving e-scooters, and if not why not?
Peter,
You should check the latest edition of STATS20, vehicles section, which should clarify the matter for you.
The above takes you the 2011 non-CRASH edition – I’m afraid I don’t know whether there have been any important revisions since then.
Andrew
E-scooters are not a not a separate veh category for stats, at least fir the moment. Depending on who filled the Stats19, they would just be motorcycle as in powered two wheels.
You raise a interesting point in that electric or hybrids are not shown either. But I’m not sure if creating so many sub-categories would confuse or clarify the stats?Last stats I saw (couple of weeks ago) stated there had been 7 UK deaths involving e-scooters thus far. Doubtless many more injuries but I don’t know any numbers. At least 1 of the deaths involved the rider of the e-scooter – he was mowed down by a car driver later found to be drunk.
All,
Use link to see the latest release for the Stats19 review that has been undertaken.Section 2.5/2.5a in the latest Stats review has been revised to include a new category called “powered personal transport device”, this can be used for but is not exclusive to “E Scooters”.
Of course you could still name the E Scooter in the “descriptive text” of the collision, as has been the case pre this change or use the other category and describe it in there.Page 11 of the document goes on to describe why the description was not just E Scooters.
Hope this helps.
Regards
Brent Sharp
Peter,
just to add to the responses so far. E-scooters would be identified as other motor vehicles along with a variety of other vehicles under STATS 19. You would need local data which includes the circumstances to see whether the reporting officer noted the involvement of an e-scooter.
Whilst the STATS 19 review will include a category that will include the e-scooter there is no definite date when this change will be made (2023 at the earliest?)
Mark.
I am going to answer my own question!
There have been at least 10 e-scooter rider deaths in the UK since the first in 2019. Hence, pre-2019 stats are irrelevant. 8men, 1woman, 1child, average age 37. Most worryingly, 6 of those deaths occurred between 8June and 5August 2001 equating to ONE DEATH EVERY 10 DAYS.
All were riding personal e-scooters in public ILLEGALLY. There have been no VICTIM fatalities, yet. There have been no rental e-scooter rider fatalities, yet.
For John Walsh. “mowed down”? Were you a witness? I would not expect such emotive terms on this website. The person “mowed down” was a 16year old riding a personal e-scooter on a public road illegally at 1.20am in the morning. The driver of the other vehicle was arrested because he gave a “positive breath alcohol sample”. Of the 9 other fatalities, only one other vehicle driver was arrested, suggesting the blame lay with the e-scooter rider.I can upload all the fatality details as a pdf if someone tells me how. It is more detailed than PACTs.
For Peter Croft. Thank you for your advice and your cryptic cynical tilt asking if I was a witness. I would not expect such sarcasm on this website. Perhaps also CHECK your post facts before pressing submit – I am guessing the reference to 2001 is a slight lapse of attention on your part.
I am fortunate in being able to walk into my local town centre. On the street, as a pedestrian, I see more and more reckless behaviour of teenagers on e-scooters, and fear that the stats for injury and death will inevitably rise unless enforcement of the existing laws is undertaken more intensely and publicly by the police. Confiscation of their scooter should be applied – the word would very soon get around the country.
Most people do not realise that it is the DfT’s intent to legalise personal e-scooters in 2023-4, so confiscating personal e-scooters now would only have a short term effect at best. Besides, the Police have neither the resources nor motivation to do so, except perhaps the Metropolitan Police. The DfT intend the current e-scooter trials of rental e-scooters to inform their legislation for personal e-scooters, which Rachel Maclean MP has stated will be “as close as possible” to pedal cycle (including e-bikes) legislation ie no licence, no registration, no training, no helmets, limited to 25km/hr. Indeed the phrase being used is “e-scooters will be permitted anywhere a pedal cycle is permitted”, as with the rental e-scooters today. That includes all roads (except motorways) and “shared pedestrian space” eg shared cycle paths and bridleways, up to 25km/hr, and possibly with a minimum age limit of 14 as currently with e-bikes. The DfT would like any and every local authority to host a trial, at no expense to the local authority. They want the public to become acclimatised to them. The trials will be a declared a “success” in the DfT’s interim report due at the end of September. Of course, e-scooters will not be permitted on pavements, but then neither are pedal cycles or parked cars, but they still do with impunity and public acceptance, albeit reluctantly perhaps. The same will happen with e-scooters, especially if under 18s (ie schoolchildren) are permitted, noting that the DfT set a minimum age for renting a trial e-scooter at 16. Most future e-scooter riders will find roads too dangerous, especially with their small wheels and reduced stability, and will use cycle paths where available and pavements where not. In other words, the e-scooter behaviour and accidents we witness now portends to the behaviour when they are legalised. The behaviour of rental e-scooters is NOT representative as there are effective behavioural controls (geo-fencing, ID/age checks, bank details and instant fines), which cannot and will not be applied to personal e-scooters.
Regarding the comment about “fear that the stats for injury and death will inevitably rise unless enforcement of the existing laws is undertaken more intensely and publicly by the police”. They have already risen, and police action is nothing more than a sticking plaster. That is my point. 2019 = 1 death, 2020 = 2 deaths, 2021 (to 5August) = 7 deaths, 6 deaths between 8June and 5August. The increase in rider fatalities coincides with the rapid expansion of the trials from 31 March 2021 with a doubling of the DfT-permitted rental e-scooters from 36,000 to 66,355. Indeed, in their risk assessment for the London rental trials, TfL identified “an increase in illegal use of e-scooters” as a HIGH risk because the appearance of rental scooters on the streets would encourage illegal personal use. They were right, but they still approved up to 19,800 rental e-scooters within Greater London on 31 March 2021, that’s 6600 from each of the 3 rental companies.
I have conducted the research and analysis myself. I have compiled and distributed spreadsheets of: fatal accidents; VSOs issued by the DfT to licence rental trials; e-scooter rental companies and their e-scooter specifications; and e-scooter manufacturers. Then I have lobbied the TfL, DfT, the Transport Select Committee, RoSPA, PACTS and numerous local authorities who are hosting the e-scooter rental trials. PACTS actually updated their database based on my research. I have submitted two FOI request to the DfT to obtain accurate information, and keep the pressure on them. I have submitted my analysis to the BBC and several national newspapers. I have contacted every rental company to determine the specifications of their e-scooters. I have chastised the CEO of Halfords for selling e-scooters, including providing staff discounts for commuting, and their online petition to legalise e-scooters. I report every illegal use of an e-scooter. I have engaged with the local police and the chief constable. Believe me, complaining about e-scooters being a nuisance, even injuring children on pavements, will not overturn the DfT’s intent to legalise personal e-scooters. However, I am hoping that publicising 6 rider deaths in 2 months would make them and local authorities think twice. But the commercial pro-e-scooter lobby is very strong, led by major retailers like Halfords and Argos. Moreover, the Government will overstate the environmental, congestion and health benefits (another COVID excuse) on the flawed assumption that every e-scooter journey is one less car or bus journey.
I would suggest that any person who has reservations about the legalising of personal e-scooters do something about it, take some action, make their voice heard, and not just moan.Hello Peter,
Would you be able to share the research that you have done on the eScooters? I would be interested to see the stats on fatalities/crashes/injuries.
Thanks.
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