Fewer e-scooter drivers injured in Helsinki in Jan-Aug

Helsinki-Uusimaa Hospital District (HUS) emergency departments treated 148 e-scooter drivers in January–August 2022, said HUS in a press release on Wednesday.

The number, however, was significantly lower than last year.

In January–August 2021, the emergency departments in Töölö, Meilahti, and Malmi Hospitals treated 386 injuries related to electric scooters.

While the availability of rental e-scooters, number of journeys made with them, as well as the number of private e-scooters have increased, the number of injuries treated at emergency departments has decreased.

“It seems that the night-time speed limits and the ban on renting e-scooters on Friday and Saturday nights have had a significant effect”, said doctoral researcher Henri Vasara from HUS Emergency Medicine and Services.

In September 2021, the City of Helsinki limited the use of e-scooters because e-scooter related accidents overburdened the emergency departments especially during the evenings and nights.

Renting e-scooters was banned during weekends between midnight and 5 a.m., and during the week, the maximum night-time speed limit was set to 15 km/h.

In HUS’s review, one of the major findings is that the number of night-time e-scooter injuries has significantly decreased.

“Certainly, the increase in user experience as well as the high media attention have played a role in the decreased number of injuries, but the significance of the limitations cannot be denied”, Vasara said.

The injuries occurring in an e-scooter accident have remained similar. About half of the patients had head injuries, while limb injuries were the second most common. This year, about half of the injuries were moderate or severe. Severe or very severe injuries were found in 12 people.

The share of patients intoxicated when injured decreased slightly from 44% to 35%, but the amount is still significant. Helmets are essential when preventing injuries to the head.

On Tuesday, Aalto University published a study discussing e-scooter safety from several points of view. HUS has participated in the study and delivered data on e-scooter injuries treated by the emergency departments and prehospital emergency care.

In addition to the analysis of injured e-scooter drivers, the study observed the e-scooter drivers’ behavior, analyzed responses to a questionnaire, and compared the injured e-scooter drivers to cyclists.