Bristol hospitals dealt with 90 e-scooter injuries in one month

Just seven per cent of Bristol e-scooter riders who sustained an injury this year were wearing a helmet as hospitals in the city scrambled to treat 90 injured riders in one month, a shocking report has stated.

Figures from the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety (Pacts) also revealed that nine e-scooter riders have died in crashes across the country this year - and related injuries are costing the NHS £1,000 per patient.

The report, published on October 31, was compiled of data from the Department of Transport, hospital audits and media reports.

It also reveals that men are twice as likely as women to suffer e-scooter related injuries in the UK and that riders are often drunk or on drugs.

In Bristol, more than two-thirds (71 per cent) of riders fell from their scooters, rather than having a collision with another vehicle.

Hospitals in the city treated 90 patients with e-scooter related injuries between May and June this year, of which three-quarters said they were riding hired devices.

Nearly 20 per cent suffered head injuries with three patients sustaining a severe traumatic brain injury, intracranial haemorrhage or a skull fracture.

Over 80 per cent suffered limb injuries and over 40 per cent suffered a fracture.

Edd Carlton, a consultant at North Bristol NHS Trust, said: "Across Emergency Departments in Bristol over 40 per cent of patients who are treated after e-scooter accidents have fractures, a number also suffer life-changing head injuries.

"The average cost of treatment to the NHS for these injuries is nearly £1,000 per patient."

The report comes after some 50 councils rolled out e-scooter rental trials last year - when 360,000 e-scooters were also bought privately.

At least 300 casualties involving e-scooters have been recorded from January to October this year, with ages of injured riders ranging from four to 82 years.

The Pacts report states that "hundreds of thousands" of the UK’s privately-owned e-scooters "are being used illegally on roads and in other public places".

It is illegal to ride a private e-scooter in public places including roads, pavements, parks or cycleways.

The Pacts report notes that it is difficult to establish the scale of e-scooter incidents as there is currently no category for the police to indicate e-scooter incidents when reporting road collisions involving casualties.

Hospitals have no pre-agreed method for collating details and, as the devices are uninsurable, claims often do not register as being related to an e-scooter when applications are made.

Matthew Pencharz, Voi’s Head of Public Policy for UK said: "We believe that the introduction of accurate, transparent reporting of accidents, better rider education, investment in better parking and riding infrastructure, as well as a level playing field with safer and appropriate regulation for private e-scooters, which are currently illegal in public spaces, will increase overall road safety.

"Voi believes the future of our cities is accessing zero-emission, lightweight alternatives to polluting motor vehicles; however, this can only be achieved with strict provisions in place requiring private users to be more accountable,” he added.

A final report is planned for early 2022.