First, the Rise of the E-Scooter. And Now, the Rise of the E-Scooter Injury

The Rise of the E-Scooter has been well chronicled: In the Bay Area and beyond, scads of electric rental scooters appeared early in 2018 and became simultaneously a sidewalk-blocking nuisance and a popular way of negotiating traffic-choked streets.

But a new study from researchers at UCSF shows that the surge in e-scooter popularity has come with a cost: a dramatic increase in the number of injuries attributed to riding the mini-vehicles.

The researchers found that from 2017 to 2018 the number of scooter-related injuries nationwide rose from an estimated 8,016 to 14,651, an increase of 82%. The UCSF team’s estimate showed a 152% spike in that same period among injury victims aged 18 through 34 years old.

The analysis showed that the nationwide incidence of scooter operator injuries skyrocketed from 6 per 100,000 people in the general population in 2014 to 19 per 100,000 in 2018.

The UCSF study team derived its estimates by looking at five years of statistics on scooter-related accidents from a national database that collects reports from about 100 representative hospital emergency departments.

Beyond the sudden spike in the overall number of riders hurt in scooter mishaps, the study published Wednesday in the January edition of JAMA Surgery noted that 32% of the cases in 2018 involved head injuries. That’s double the rate at which cyclists suffer head injuries in crashes.

Dr. Benjamin Breyer, a UCSF urologist and a study co-author, said the rate of head injuries is especially concerning. He and his fellow researchers said in their analysis that e-scooter firms “should facilitate and encourage helmet use by increasing helmet access.”

The UCSF statistics align roughly with earlier research that has shown high rates of head injuries and very low helmet use among scooter riders.

The analysis notes, in passing, two prior studies — the first from Southern California, a second using data from three unidentified trauma centers — that estimated just 2% to 4% of injured scooter riders were wearing helmets when they were hurt.

A third study not referenced in the UCSF report reviewed the cases of 190 scooter riders injured in Austin, Texas, during a three-month period in 2018. It found just one of the riders was using a helmet.

“There’s a lot of positives about the scooters,” Breyer said in an interview Tuesday. “It promotes active commuting, which is good for your health. It’s good for the environment. It’s good for traffic congestion. But I think helmet distribution and helmet usage needs to be made more convenient. People just need to understand that when trauma happens with scooters, very frequently head trauma is involved, and that can lead to very serious long-term consequences.”

The Micromobility Coalition, a trade group founded by Lime and Uber, said in a statement that UCSF’s analysis “is an appreciated addition to the information available.” The statement added that e-scooter firms are “promoting helmet use through their apps, online channels, demonstration events, and helmet distribution.”

In a separate statement, Lime noted that it has given away 250,000 helmets and is partnering with helmet makers to offer half-priced safety headgear.