Recent years have seen a massive uptick in the adoption of electric mobility devices. From stand-up e-scooters to electric bicycles and everything in between, it’s clear that lightweight electric transport is here, and it’s here to stay.
That being said, just like many things that gain popularity, the more people use or do something, the more things go wrong. And this is exactly what’s going on in the e-mobility industry, where injuries associated with these devices have tripled since 2019.
While it’s easy to point blame at e-bikes and e-scooters directly, it turns out people just tend to be a bit stupid sometimes, too. A study published in the Injury Prevention Journal makes it apparent that the increase in e-mobility-related injuries stemmed from riders being under the influence of alcohol and other substances. Moreover, the numbers show that more men than women were injured, and younger riders were the most likely to be under the influence of alcohol.
But being stupid and throwing caution to the wind has always been human nature. And so, the study points out that there are other clear ways to improve the safety of these e-mobility devices. Akshaya Bhagavathula, an associate professor of epidemiology at North Dakota State University, and a co-author of the study mentioned above, explained to Scientific American that infrastructure, regulations, and general awareness regarding the risk of riding under the influence have not kept up with the increased use of e-bikes and e-scooters.
