Seattle sees sharp rise in scooter injuries

Seattle and the rest of the U.S. are seeing an alarming 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 while lacking 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-size 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. on a daily basis.

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 — many suffering head trauma.
• People between 15 and 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.

Zoom in: The number of people admitted to Harborview Medical Center with injuries from riding or being struck by e-scooters and e-bikes has increased every year since 2020, UW Medicine spokesperson Susan Gregg tells Axios.

• There were 29 such admissions in 2020 and 163 in 2024, per Gregg.
• "We continue to see a significant increase in injured children and adults who were riding e-scooters," says Beth Ebel, a professor of pediatrics at the University of Washington.

What they're saying: Many injuries stem from younger users missing hazards that adults would spot, Ebel tells Axios.

• "Younger people are more prone to taking risks," Ebel says. "We have also seen injuries from 'tandem' riding from young people who are both riding the same scooter together, including injuries to very young children."

Between the lines: "I think we're seeing the consequences of treating e-scooters like toys instead of vehicles," says Rasmus Barslund, founder of ERideHero.

Be smart: Ebel — who is also an injury prevention expert — offered these tips to make riding safer:

• Wear a helmet. And make sure it's fitted and strapped.
• Be seen. Use reflective strips — on both your clothes and your helmet.
• Stick to bike lanes. Plan routes with physical separation from vehicles when possible.
• Follow the rules of the road. One rider today was headed the wrong way down Lake City Way — no helmet.
• Keep kids off the road. Children not of driving age shouldn't be riding scooters in traffic.
• Support common-sense laws. Push for helmet rules and lower speed limits.
• Back safer streets. More bike lanes and slower cars protect everyone.
• Don't ride impaired. If you're under the influence, take a bus or use a rideshare.