E-scooter accidents rise by 500% in Derbyshire - but still only account for 2% of all collisions

In the last year, Derbyshire has seen a 500% increase in e-scooter related accidents.
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While the dangers of e-scooters are apparent, they still only accounted for 2% of all vehicular collisions in Derbyshire in 2021.

There were 2,244 vehicular accidents in Derbyshire last year and only 19 of these involved an e-scooter. This is up from three e-scooter accidents in 2020.

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Over the past year, accidents involving e-scooters have increased across the whole of Britain. In 2021, there was a total of 1,280 reported collisions involving e-scooters in the UK – compared to 460 e-scooter collisions in 2020.

Studies have suggested that riding an e-scooter could be significantly more risky than riding a bicycle.Studies have suggested that riding an e-scooter could be significantly more risky than riding a bicycle.
Studies have suggested that riding an e-scooter could be significantly more risky than riding a bicycle.

Furthermore, nine people were killed in e-scooter collisions last year, as opposed to 2020, where e-scooter collisions only accounted for a single fatality. The total number of road accidents in the UK saw a 7% increase from 2020 to 2021, but pedal bike related collisions have seen a decrease of around a fifth.

How dangerous are e-scooters and do they need stricter regulations before they can be deemed “safe”?

Are E-Scooters dangerous?

In a study commissioned by Transport for London, the findings indicated that riding an e-scooter is significantly more dangerous than riding a bicycle – it’s estimated that riding an e-scooter could be as much as 100 times more dangerous than a bike.

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Of the reported 401 non-fatal injuries caused by e-scooter collisions last year, 120 were deemed “serious” by the police. This only accounts for around 30% of all e-scooter accidents in the past year, as the data only takes into account collisions reported on the police’s “CRASH” reporting system.

Regardless, this still indicates that over 30% of all e-scooter accidents result in a serious injury. Of these serious injuries, it was reported that fractures to the lower leg was the most common – 32 in total.

How can I avoid being caught in an e-scooter accident?

According to the data, e-scooter related accidents occur most frequently at around 4pm-6pm, coinciding with rush hour. Therefore, if you’re driving an e-scooter or another vehicle at around this time, it could pay dividends to be more vigilant.

It has been suggested in the data that most accidents involving e-scooters take place in the summer, when their usage is at its most prevalent.

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It may also be a good idea to avoid using them in the most densely populated of urban areas – 510 e-scooter related accidents were reported by the Metropolitan Police in London last year, which is a considerably higher figure than anywhere else in the UK.

Jack Cousens, head of roads policy for the AA, had this to say: “As the lockdowns eased, we were hopeful that the reduction seen in the 2020 road casualties statistics could be maintained for longer, but sadly that wasn’t the case.

"We are still learning about the type of incidents e-scooters are involved in as well as the kinds of injuries they create. While the number of collisions increased significantly from 2020, initial reporting shows that e-scooter riders are more likely to hurt themselves rather than others.”