E-scooter riders sustain more head and internal injuries than motorcyclists and cyclists in England and Wales.

Cohort studyScientific reports· Aug 2026

E-scooter riders sustain more head and internal injuries than motorcyclists and cyclists in England and Wales.

Garikai Kungwengwe, Michael W Gach, Siri Gowda … David Bodansky

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Emergency Trauma CareCohort studyQ1IF 5.0

E-scooter riders have triple the traumatic brain injury risk of motorcyclists

E-scooter riders sustain more head and internal injuries than motorcyclists and cyclists in England and Wales.

Garikai Kungwengwe … David Bodansky

Scientific reports · Aug 2026

Background

Electric scooters are increasingly used across the United Kingdom, yet national evidence on injury patterns, severity and exposure-adjusted risk remains limited.

Results

e-scooter riders face far higher traumatic brain injury risk than motorcyclists

RR 3.45 (95% CI 3.19 to 3.75)

CI excludes the null - significant

More results

Helmet use was rare, female sex was associated with higher injury severity, and exposure-adjusted collision rates varied with area-level deprivation.

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Conclusion

A standardised severity framework enables clearer comparison across transport modes and supports evidence-based regulation, infrastructure planning and targeted public health interventions.

E-scooter riders sustain more head and internal injuries than motorcyclists and cyclists in England and Wales.

E-scooter riders sustain more head and internal injuries than motorcyclists and cyclists in England and Wales.

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