Comparison of motor-vehicle involved e-scooter fatalities with other traffic fatalities

Introduction: Shared e-scooters are an emerging mode of transportation with many features that make their physical properties, behavior, and travel patterns unique. Safety concerns have been raised concern-ing their usage, but it is difficult to understand effective interventions with so little data available. Methods: Using media and police reports, a crash dataset was developed of rented dockless e-scooter fatalities in crashes involving motor vehicles that occurred in the United States in 2018-2019 (n = 17) and the corresponding records from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data were iden-tified. The dataset was used to perform a comparative analysis with other traffic fatalities during the same time period. Results: Compared to fatalities from other modes of transportation, e-scooter fatality victims are younger and more likely male. More e-scooter fatalities occur at night than any other mode, except pedestrians. E-scooter users are comparatively as likely as other unmotorized vulnerable road users to be killed in a hit-and-run crash. While e-scooter fatalities had the highest proportion of alcohol involvement of any mode, this was not significantly higher than the rate seen in pedestrian and motor-cyclist fatalities. E-scooter fatalities were more likely than pedestrian fatalities to be intersection-related, and to involve crosswalks or traffic signals. Conclusions: E-scooter users share a mix of the same vulner-abilities as both pedestrians and cyclists. Although e-scooter fatalities are demographically most similar to motorcycle fatalities, crash circumstances share more similarities with pedestrian or cyclist fatalities. Other characteristics of e-scooter fatalities are notably distinct from other modes. Practical Applications: E-scooter use must be understood by users and policymakers to be a distinct mode of transportation. This research highlights the similarities and differences between similar modes, like walking and cycling. By using this information on comparative risk, e-scooter riders and policymakers can take strategic action to minimize the number of fatal crashes. (c) 2022 National Safety Council and Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.