Standing electric scooter injuries: Impact on a community
Abstract
Background: This study investigates the impact of standing electric scooter-related injuries within an entire integrated hospital system. Methods: We performed a retrospective review of patients involved in standing electric scooter incidents presenting throughout an urban hospital network over a 10 month period. Rates of Google searches of scooter-related terms performed locally were used as a surrogate for ride frequency. Injury, mechanism, and cost data were analyzed. Results: Data on 248 patients were reviewed. Twenty-three (9%) were under 18 years old. Loss of balance was the most common cause of injury accounting for nearly half, while tripping over a scooter 14 (6%) affected the elderly disproportionately. Eight (3%) riders wore helmets. All TBI and closed head injuries occurred in unhelmeted patients. Most incidents occurred in the street, only one in a bicycle lane. Facilities costs were greater for patients under the influence of alcohol and marijuana. Conclusion: Policies related to the use of mandated safety equipment, dedicated bicycle lanes, and the proper storage of empty vehicles should be further investigated.
Additional Information
© 2020 Elsevier Inc. Received 4 April 2020, Revised 20 July 2020, Accepted 20 July 2020, Available online 25 July 2020. Authorship: M.B.B., C.L, M.L., and S.S.T. contributed to the design of the study. M.B.B., A.N., C.L., M.L., and S.S.T. contributed to the acquisition of data. M.B.B., A.N., and E.Y.L contributed to data analysis. M.B.B., A.N., D.R.M., and S.S.T. drafted the article. All authors contributed to critical review of the article and have agreed to the final version of the article. Declaration of competing interest: All authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose.Additional details
- Eprint ID
- 104971
- Resolver ID
- CaltechAUTHORS:20200817-090718634
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2020-08-17Created from EPrint's datestamp field
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2021-11-16Created from EPrint's last_modified field