Micromobility injuries requiring medical treatment have dropped for the third continuous year in Europe, Micro-Mobility for Europe (MMfE) has found.
MMfE – a coalition of shared micromobility providers – aggregated data based on incident reports by Bird, Bolt, Dott, Lime, Tier and Voi for more than 300 million e-scooter journeys and 58 million e-bike rides.
The number of incidents requiring medical treatment and fatal injuries dropped by 19% from 2022 for e-scooters, and 16% for e-bikes.
“There are a range of factors that have likely contributed to micromobility injuries on shared vehicles in Europe dropping for the third year in a row,” Co-Chair of MMfE and Voi’s Director of Central Policy, Christy Pearson, told Zag Daily.
“Firstly, as operators, our devices improve with each new generation. Secondly, in collaboration with cities, we dedicate significant resources to educate citizens and users. Thirdly, certain cities and regions have taken bold action and improved infrastructure to improve safety for vulnerable road users.
“This is something we hope to see continue across all cities in Europe.”
The trend for all reported injuries per million trips is even more stark. 2023 saw the number of reported injuries per million decline by 44% since 2022 for shared e-scooters, and by 39% for e-bikes.
MMfE also found that the risk of injury requiring medical treatment while riding an e-scooter is slightly lower than that of an e-bike, with the incidents being 3.3 per million kilometres and 3.9 per million kilometres respectively.
Responding to the data
It is hoped that these findings from MMfE will spark a new perspective for micromobility, said Pearson.
“The risks associated with e-scooters are often exaggerated when compared to other forms of micromobility. However, data indicates that accident rates for e-scooters are similar to those of e-bikes.
“It is crucial to recognise the important role that all forms of micromobility play in transitioning to sustainable transportation. Prematurely dismissing any one form would be regrettable.”
The European Commission found in its 2022 to 2023 data that almost 70% of vulnerable road user fatalities, which includes cyclists and users of shared micromobility, involved motor vehicles.
Nevertheless, Pearson added that, though accident rates are decreasing, the overall number of injuries and fatalities in road traffic still need tackling.
“The micromobility industry recognises its responsibility in this regard. Our primary goal should be to collaborate with stakeholders at all levels to enhance road safety together.”
Earlier this year, MMfE published recommendations for all stakeholders to increase the safety of micromobility. These include reducing speed limits of motorised traffic in urban areas; infrastructure investment across the EU; and supporting law enforcement authorities for fair treatment of traffic rule violators on e-scooters, bikes and cars.
