Importance of Wearing a Helmet When Riding an Electric Scooter  

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Baltimore Car Accident Lawyers discuss wearing a helmet when riding an electric scooter. Electric scooters, or e-scooters, are becoming the next big thing in shared vehicles, particularly in cities around the country. Companies like Bird, Lime, and Scoot rent their e-scooters to thousands of customers who are interested in taking advantage of this convenient transportation option.

However, according to a study conducted by researchers at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), only a small percentage of the e-scooter riders wear helmets. While these vehicles only reach a maximum speed of about 15 mph, the rider can still suffer a serious head injury if they choose not to wear a helmet.

Researchers found that approximately 40 percent of patients who were treated at two different emergency rooms in southern California for injuries involving a two-wheeled e-scooter suffered from head injuries. However, only 4.4 percent of those patients were wearing a helmet at the time of the accident. The study also revealed that 182 of the 193 e-scooter riders in a sampling of traffic in Los Angeles were not wearing a helmet.

As the popularity of these vehicles continues to grow, it is important to understand the public health impact they could have.

The Rise of E-Scooters

E-scooters first started to appear in Santa Monica in 2017, but they are now in over 100 cities, including Baltimore. Researchers involved in the study examined the medical records of 249 patients in California who went to the emergency room with injuries resulting from an accident involving an e-scooter.

The injured patients were treated at UCLA Medical Center in Santa Monica and Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles from September 2017 to September 2018. The average age of the patients studied was 34, and over 58 percent of the patients were male. Close to 92 percent of the injured patients were riding the scooter at the time of the accident.

Highlights of the Study

  • Close to 11 percent of patients were under the age of 18
  • Head injuries were the most common type of injury, followed by fractures and contusions, sprains, and lacerations with a fracture
  • Records showed that only 10 percent of patients had worn a helmet
  • The majority of head injuries were minor and did not involve intracranial bleeding or skull fractures. Only two percent had intracranial bleeding
  • Six percent of patients were admitted or transferred, including one who suffered a traumatic subarachnoid hemorrhage, and one with a subdural hematoma

One reason that so few e-scooter riders wear helmets may be due to the fact that the companies that rent the vehicles do not provide helmets. According to a doctor from the University of Washington, this is similar to a car rental company renting out a car that did not have seatbelts. He further went on to say that the Consumer Product Safety Commission should test a wide range of helmets, and label those that are appropriate for e-scooters and bikes.

Baltimore Car Accident Lawyers at LeViness, Tolzman & Hamilton Represent Victims of E-Scooter Accidents

If you sustained a head injury, or any other type of injury after being involved in an e-scooter accident, do not hesitate to contact the Baltimore car accident lawyers at LeViness, Tolzman & Hamilton. We will work tirelessly to protect your rights and secure the maximum financial compensation you deserve for your injuries. To schedule a free consultation, call us today at 800-547-4LAW (4529) or contact us online.

Our offices are located in Baltimore, Columbia, Glen Burnie, and Towson, allowing us to represent car accident victims in Maryland, including those in Anne Arundel County, Baltimore County, Carroll County, Harford County, Howard County, Montgomery County, Maryland’s Western Counties, Prince George’s County, Queen Anne’s County, Southern Maryland, and the Eastern Shore, as well as the communities of Catonsville, Essex, Halethorpe, Middle River, Rosedale, Gwynn Oak, Brooklandville, Dundalk, Pikesville, Nottingham, Windsor Mill, Lutherville, Timonium, Sparrows Point, Ridgewood, and Elkridge.