Kids' e-scooter injuries are on the rise
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The U.S. is seeing a rise in electric scooter injuries — particularly among children, according to data compiled by ERideHero, a consumer guide to electric micro-mobility.
Why it matters: E-scooters, despite their well-publicized boom and bust history, have become mainstream in many cities yet lack the safety guardrails that govern other types of transportation.
- People often ride them on sidewalks, for instance, and without helmets.
- Children zip around on adult-sized scooters that go much faster than many parents realize.
The big picture: Some 81 million people took trips on shared e-scooters in the U.S. last year, according to the North American Bikeshare & Scootershare Association.
- Approximately 150,000 shared scooters are deployed across the U.S. every day.
- Scooters can be a clean, convenient way to travel, but there are also increased risks.
Zoom in: Fayetteville is the only NWA city with a shared electric scooter and bike program.
- Because not all injuries are reported or may be recorded incorrectly, there is no comprehensive source of local data, the city's mobility coordinator, Dane Eifling, tells Axios.
- There are generally a "handful" of accidents each year out of hundreds of thousands of rides (nearly 500,000 rides were recorded in 2021), he said.
Yes, but: Shared services tend to be safer due to the regulation of speed set by the city and vendors, and Eifling's ability to set geo-fences to slow down scooters in areas prone to accidents.
- Slow zones can't be enforced electronically on privately owned scooters or bikes.
By the numbers: E-scooter injuries in the U.S. rose by 80% to nearly 116,000 in 2024, according to ERideHero's 2025 Electric Scooter Accident Report.
- Accidents among children more than doubled, with nearly 18,000 kids under 15 getting hurt. More than 18% of e-scooter injuries last year were head trauma.
- People between 15-24 suffered the most e-scooter injuries, accounting for more than 23%.
- 68% of those injured were male, and over 10,000 injuries involved driving under the influence.
- ERideHero's analysis is based on data sourced from the Consumer Product Safety Commission's NEISS database, which tracks consumer product-related injuries from a sample of over 100 U.S. ERs.
What they're saying: "The 80% jump in just one year can't be explained by adoption alone," said Rasmus Barslund, founder of ERideHero.
- "I think we're seeing the consequences of treating e-scooters like toys instead of vehicles," he said.