[E-scooter accidents and their consequences : First prospective analysis of the injury rate and injury patterns in the urban area of a German city with over 1 million residents].

Background: Since their approval in Germany in June 2019 e‑scooters have become increasingly more popular; however, with growing popularity and easy access for everybody the number of accidents has increased, sometimes even resulting in severe injuries.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to collect demographic data and analyze injury patterns of accidents due to e‑scooter use in a large German city and to give suggestions on future safety concepts and rules of conduct.

Methods: All patients who presented at the interdisciplinary emergency room of the Klinikum rechts der Isar, University hospital of the Technical University in Munich between 1 July 2019 and 1 April 2020 after suffering an e‑scooter accident were included in this study. Demographic data as well as information with respect to the trauma mechanism were prospectively collected.

Results: During the study period 60 patients were identified of which 34 (56.7%) were male with an average age of 34.7 years (range 18-73 years) at the time of the accident. Of the patients 22 rode the e‑scooter under the influence of alcohol and only 1 wore a helmet. The head was the most injured body region, followed by the upper and lower extremities and 2 (3.3%) patients were severely injured with an injury severity score (ISS) ≥16.

Conclusion: Due to the growing popularity of e‑scooter use more injuries have been registered. The head was the most affected body region, therefore emphasis should be put on wearing a helmet. Furthermore, strict rules and more police controls should take place to identify and reduce the number of accident victims under the influence of alcohol.