The number of accidents involving shared e-scooters and e-bikes fell in 2023 thanks mainly to technological innovation from operators, according to a report from Micro Mobility for Europe (MMfE).

Technology improvements have seen operators deploy newer models, while operators and cities have invested in education campaigns, and cities have taken action to improve infrastructure.

Compared with 2022, the number of all reported injuries per million trips in Europe declined 44% for shared e-scooters. With regards to the number of incidents requiring medical treatment and fatal injuries, incidents dropped 19%.

The trend for shared e-bikes is similar, as the number of all reported injuries per million trips declined 39%, while the number of incidents requiring medical treatment and fatal injuries dropped by 16%.

When comparing different transport modes, MMfE data show the risk of injury requiring medical treatment while riding an e-scooter is slightly lower than with driving an e-bike, 3.3/million km and 3.9/million km for e-scooters and e-bikes, respectively.

The overwhelming majority of injuries were caused due to the user falling or a collision with a heavier motor vehicle. As data from the European Commission for 2023 show, almost 70% of vulnerable road user fatalities, including cyclists and shared micromobility users involve motor vehicles.

These findings confirm the recent study (www.itf-oecd.org/safer-micromobility) by OECD, the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA) and the International Transport Forum (ITF), which has reported that the main reasons behind injuries of micromobility users remain inadequate infrastructure and intoxication by alcohol, while the devices employed by shared micromobility operators are the safest compared with the ones owned by individuals.

MMfE continues its determination to achieve Vision Zero and has shared its recommendations (micromobilityforeurope.eu/oecd-itf-and-ntua-on-micro-mobility-safety), which require action beyond micromobility operators, including investments in safe infrastructure across the EU and support for law enforcement authorities for consequent and fair treatment of traffic rule violators on e-scooters, bikes and cars.

The 2023 MMfE data are based on more than 300 million e-scooters journeys covering more than 540 million kilometres and more than 58 million e-bikes rides covering more than 139 million kilometres. The figures only include shared micromobility, which are subject to strict rules including speed caps and geofencing, unlike privately owned micromobility devices. The data have been aggregated based on incident reports by Bird, Bolt, Dott, Lime, Tier and Voi, and follow the same methods as for 2021 and 2022, and cover the EU27, Israel, Norway, Switzerland and the UK.

“We are glad to see that our efforts in vehicle design and education, combined with cities’ efforts to improve infrastructure, translate to a significant drop in injuries related to shared micromobility,” said Christy Pearson, MMfE co-chair. “However, the journey is not over and we are committed to continue our work towards Vision Zero. This also requires cities’ continued efforts, in particular with regards to motor vehicles, as almost 70% of cyclist and e-scooter rider fatalities involve motor vehicles, which highlights the need for safe infrastructure for vulnerable road users as well as reducing speed limits for motorised vehicles.”