STOCKHOLM, March 29 —A recent Swedish study reveals that the majority of accidents involving electric scooters are above all due to careless user behaviour.
Among the risk factors identified, one-handed riding and group travel significantly increase the likelihood of accidents.
This study, from Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg, focuses on the main causes of accidents involving e-scooters in urban environments. It shows that certain specific uses considerably increase the likelihood of an accident.
In fact, in 20 per cento safety-critical incidents, the user deliberately provoked a risky situation or even a collision. Singled out in particular are single-handed riding (which increases the risk of a fall sixfold) and using a mobile phone while riding. Riding in a group triples the risk of an accident. The study also shows that a planned trip to and from designated points (from home to work, for example) systematically leads to fewer accidents than leisure riding with unforeseen detours.
Of the critical events studied, 30 per cent involved cars, which is surprising given that e-scooters are supposed to travel on cycle paths. This means that many accidents occur outside dedicated infrastructure, particularly at intersections, where the visibility of e-scooter users is sometimes reduced.
As a result of their research, the authors of this study propose the introduction of smart alerts to remind users to keep both hands on the handlebars, and geo-fencing to automatically adapt the rider’s speed to the zone in which they are traveling.
The study is based on data collected from 7,000 journeys on rental electric scooters. On-board cameras and measuring instruments were used to study user behaviour. As a result, 61 safety-critical events were recorded, i.e., 19 accidents and 42 “near-crashes” that almost led to an accident. — ETX Studio
