Injuries with Electric vs. Conventional Scooters and Bicycles

I live in a town where cycling is fairly popular, and where the local governments have made an effort to provide bike-friendly infrastructure when roads get rebuilt.

Naturally, e-bikes are going viral here. I see a lot of e-bikes in town, including along my daily commute to work on a popular bike path. Many of my work colleagues have gotten e-bikes. Ironically the most frequent question I get when people find out that I'm a cyclist is: "When are you going to get an e-bike?"

My reaction to the article is that I'd like to see how things pan out in the next few years. This is because a lot of the e-cyclists I'm seeing show signs of being effectively beginners. For instance, awkward when maintaining steerage at low speeds or being "afraid of the brakes." I've also noticed what I think is a car driving habit, which is to "accelerate out of trouble."

I've developed the habit of giving e-bikes a lot of clearance, especially when they are in groups, and around intersections.

But even within the past year or so, I'm seeing a lot of improvement. For one thing, most e-cyclists have slowed down to roughly the same speed as prevailing bike traffic, and elderly riders even slower. There may be a realization that your top speed is not just limited by your motor, but also your reflexes and bike handling skill.

To anybody who has gotten an e-bike, I offer some advice. First, motorcycle safety videos are surprisingly useful at pointing out common hazards when riding in car traffic. Those riders know that they're invisible, and they're more visible than you are. Second, practice using your brakes. Take the bike to an empty parking lot and practice your panic stops, going straight and around curves.

> Findings In a cross-sectional study including 86 623 individuals, electric bicycle injuries increased by nearly 100% and electric scooter injuries increased by more than 45% annually. Injured electric vehicle users were older and less commonly helmeted than those injured from conventional vehicles, with significantly lower odds of hospitalization in individuals who were Black than in those who were White.

I can't help but think - do some groups seek the hospital more than others? When I was young, I was much less likely to go in.

It is not obvious to me that this is correcting for the differences in bicycle vs escooter users? Or the total number of users over time.

By and large I expect someone riding a bicycle to be fitter than the average bear. In contrast, someone using an escooter could have any possible composition: slim/obese, young/old, safe/reckless. The increasing popularity of scooters also means that the absolute number of people has likely risen from a decade ago.