E-scooter safety highlighted in two new reports

A new report from the OECD’s International Transport Forum (ITF) examines the current evidence base for micromobility safety trends and risks. It provides safety recommendations for both authorities and micromobility operators in line with the Safe System approach.

The authors conclude that shared e-scooter use is becoming safer overall as injuries are not rising in line with usage. But an increase in severe injuries from e-scooter crashes is cause for concern.

The ITF report underlines the importance of safe infrastructure and vehicle design and says a focus on rider behaviour and safety equipment must be complemented by better infrastructure and improved vehicles – especially for e-scooters.

Reinforcing existing policies improves safety. Road safety measures also make micromobility safer – managing speed, providing training to road users and enforcing rules against impaired driving and riding.

A separate report published earlier this month by researchers from Chalmers University in Sweden compared the safety of a typical shared e-scooter with a consumer model and found that safety levels were higher with the rented model due to better brakes and suspension and larger wheels.