A look at electric bike casualties: Do they differ from the mechanical bicycle?

Analysis of road traffic accidents and casualties associated with electric bikes and bicycles in Guangzhou, China: A retrospective descriptive analysis

Introduction

Electric bicycles (e-bikes) and bicycles in large Chinese cities have recently witnessed substantial growth in ridership. According to related accident trends, this study analyzed characteristics and spatial distribution in the period when e-bike-related accidents rapidly increased to propose priority measures to reduce accident casualties.

Methods

For e-bike- and bicycle-related accident data from the Guangzhou Public Security Traffic Management Integrated System, linear regression was used to examine the trends in the number of accidents and age-adjusted road traffic casualties from 2011 to 2021. Then, for the period when e-bike-related accidents rapidly increased, descriptive statistics were computed regarding rider characteristics, illegal behaviors, road types, collision objects and their accident liability. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) followed by Bonferroni's multiple comparison test. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Finally, the density distribution of accidents was presented, and Moran's I (MI) was used for assessing spatial autocorrelation. Hotspots were identified based on an optimized hotspot analysis tool.

Results

Between 2011 and 2021, the number of accidents and casualty rate (per 100,000 population) increased for e-bikes but decreased for bicycles. After 2018, e-bike-related accidents increased rapidly, and bicycle-related accidents plateaued. Accident hotspots were concentrated in central city areas and suburban areas close to the former. Three-quarters of accidents occurred in motorized vehicle lanes. Most occurred on roads without physically segregated nonmotorized vehicle lanes. More than three-fifths of the accidents involved motor vehicles with at least four wheels. The prevalence (per 100 people) of casualties among e-bike rider victims and cyclist victims accounted for 92.0 % and 96.5 %, respectively. A total of 71.6 % of e-bike-related accidents involved migrant workers. Riding in motorized vehicle lanes was the most common illegal behavior.

Conclusions

Although e-bike-related and bicycle-related accidents presented similar characteristics, the sharp increase in e-bike-related accidents requires attention. To improve e-bike safety, governments should develop appropriate countermeasures to prevent riders from riding on motorways, such as improving road infrastructure, adjusting the driver's license system and addressing priority control areas.

[The severely injured older cyclist-Evaluation of the TraumaRegister DGU® : Retrospective, multicenter cross-sectional study based on the TraumaRegister DGU®]

BACKGROUND

Contrary to the trend of decreasing traffic fatalities, the number of cyclists killed in Germany has been steadily increasing in recent years. With the increasing popularity of cycling in all age groups, the number of accidents with sometimes serious injuries is rising. In the course of this, the question arises what influence age has on the type and severity of injuries, the probability of survival and the length of hospital stay in seriously injured cyclists.

METHODS

A retrospective analysis of data from the TraumaRegister DGU® (TR-DGU) from 2010 to 2019 was performed. All severely injured cyclists with a maximum abbreviated injury scale (MAIS) of 3+ (n = 14,651) in the TR-DGU were included in this study and the available parameters were evaluated. A subdivision into three age groups (60-69, 70-79, and ≥ 80 years) and a control group (20-59 years) was carried out.

RESULTS

Injuries to the head were by far the most common, accounting for 64.2%. There was a marked increase in severe head injuries in the 60-plus years age group. Furthermore, with increasing age, the probability of prehospital intubation, catecholamine requirement, intensive care and hospital length of stay, and mortality increased.

CONCLUSION

Head injuries represent the most common serious injury, especially among older cyclists. As helmet wearing was not recorded in the TraumaRegister DGU® during the evaluation period, no conclusion can be drawn about its effect. Furthermore, a higher age correlates with a longer hospital stay and a higher mortality, but does not represent an independent risk factor for death in severely injured patients.

Development of German pedelec (and bicycle) crashes between 2013 and 2021

INTRODUCTION

The continuous growth in the use of e-bikes (in Germany mostly pedelecs that support pedaling up to 25 km/h) raises questions about the use of historic crash data for the development of road safety measures. The aim of this study was to address this issue, by conducting a longitudinal analysis of pedelec and bicycle crash data over a period of nine years to identify trends and to clarify whether such trends are specific to pedelecs.

METHOD

We analyzed 95,338 police reported pedelec and bicycle injury crashes from 2013 through 2021. The dataset consisted of crashes from three federal states of Germany: Brandenburg, Hesse and Saxony. Data were analyzed with respect to sex and age distribution, time, location and type of accident, conflict partner, cause of crash and injury severity.

RESULTS

Many of the analyzed variables showed a considerable degree of temporal stability, with differences as well as similarities between the two bicycle types staying quite consistent over the years. One notable difference was the mean age of the involved riders, with crashed pedelec riders being significantly older than conventional cyclists. At the same time, however, the mean age of these pedelec riders has decreased by eight years over time. Single vehicle crashes were consistently more common for pedelec riders than for cyclists. Similarly, pedelec rider crashes went with a higher injury severity over all the years.

CONCLUSIONS AND PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS

While, on a more detailed level, we found differences between the two bicycle types, overall crash characteristics were remarkably similar and consistent over time. Our findings provide no clear argument for road safety measures that are specifically designed to target pedelecs. Instead, the stable crash total, and the increases in ridership of both bicycles and pedelecs, highlight the demand for new, innovative solutions to improve cycling safety in general.

Systematic literature review of 10 years of cyclist safety research

Cyclist safety is a research field that is gaining increasing interest and attention, but still offers questions and challenges open to the scientific community. The aim of this study was to provide an exhaustive review of scientific publications in the cyclist safety field. For this purpose, Bibliometrix-R tool was used to analyse 1066 documents retrieved from Web of Science (WoS) between 2012 and 2021. The study examined published sources and productive scholars by exposing their most influential contributions, presented institutions and countries most contributing to cyclist safety and explored countries open towards international collaborations. A keywords analysis provided the most frequent author keywords in cyclist safety shown in a word cloud with E-bike, behaviour, and crash severity representing the primary keywords. Furthermore, a thematic map of cyclist safety field drafted from the author's keywords was identified. The strategic diagram is divided in four quadrants and, according to both density and centrality, the themes can be classified as follows: 1) motor themes, characterized by high value of both centrality and density; 2) niche themes, defined by high density and low centrality; 3) emerging or declining themes, featured by low value of both centrality and density; and 4) basic themes, distinguished by high centrality and low density. The motor themes (i.e., the main topics in cyclist safety field) crash severity and bike network were further explored. The research findings will be useful to develop strategies for making bike a safer and more confident form of transport as well as to guide researchers towards the future scientific knowledge.

Ocular injuries associated with two-wheeled electric transportation devices and motorcycle accidents

Electric bicycles and scooters have gained popularity among riders; studies assessing these device-related injuries have not specified ocular trauma. Our study examined the types and risk factors for ocular and periocular injuries associated with electric devices compared to motorcycle accidents. The study was conducted on the National Trauma Registry database from 20 trauma centers, including patients involved in accidents with electric bicycles, scooters, and motorcycles between 2014 to 2019. Injured riders were assigned into two groups: motorcycle group (M) and electric bicycle & scooter group (E). Data such as gender, age, protective gear use, ocular injury type, injury severity score (ISS), and ocular surgery were captured. Logistic regression models were conducted for injury types and the need for surgery. 8181 M-riders and 3817 E-riders were involved in an accident and hospitalized. E-riders suffered from ocular injury more than M-riders. Males were most vulnerable and the ages of 15-29. Orbital floor fracture was the most common injury, followed by ocular contusion, eyelid laceration, and other ocular wounds. Electric bicycle and scooter riders are more likely to suffer from ocular injury than motorcycle riders. Riders without helmets are at greater risk for injuries, specifically orbital floor fractures. ISS of 16 + was associated with injury demanding ocular surgery.

Demographics of road injuries and micromobility injuries among China, India, Japan, and the United States population: evidence from an age-period-cohort analysis

BACKGROUND

Micromobility sharing platforms have involved skyrocketing numbers of users in multiple countries since 2010. However, few studies have examined the overall impact of the growing micromobility market on road injuries.

METHOD

We use road injury data from the Global Burden of Disease Study database to examine the effect of age, period, and cohort on micromobility injury-related deaths and incidence. We compared four countries that vary in demographic background and road infrastructure. By comparing the countries, we analyzed the relationship between the trends in road injuries and these factors.

RESULTS

We found an overall upward trend in micromobility injuries. A higher risk of micromobility-related injuries was witnessed in China and the US in 2015-2019, and people older than 45 showed a growing micromobility-related mortality and incidence rate in China, India, and the US. Cohorts after 1960 showed higher micromobility injury incidence risks in China and India, but the population born after 1990 in India showed a slightly lower risk compared to those before it.

CONCLUSIONS

The boosted usage of micromobility devices explains these increasing trends. Road infrastructure and separated traffic ease the collisions from micromobility devices. The overall situation calls for improvement in legislation as well as road infrastructure.

Speeds of Young E-Cyclists on Urban Streets and Related Risk Factors: An Observational Study in Israel

In Israel, a growing use of electric bicycles by youngsters has been noted, with an increase in related injuries. In this study, an observational survey was conducted on typical urban streets, aiming to characterize the riding speeds of young e-cyclists compared to regular cyclists and the associated risk factors in their behaviors. The survey covered 39 sites in eight cities, and included 1054 cyclists. The results showed that mean speeds of young e-cyclists were higher than those of regular cyclists at all types of sites, with a difference of 6–9 km/h. The mean speeds of e-bicycles were below 25 km/h, as prescribed by law, but the 85-percentile speeds were higher. E-cyclist speeds depend on the type of street, road layout and place of riding. More e-cyclists used the roadway compared to regular cyclists, however, on divided roads, more e-cyclists used sidewalks in spite of the law prohibition, thus endangering pedestrians. The majority of cyclists did not wear helmets. The unsafe behaviors of teenage e-cyclists increase the injury risk for themselves and for other road-users. Thus, separate bicycle infrastructure should be promoted in the cities. Road safety education and training of young e-cyclists with stronger enforcement of traffic regulations are also needed.

Craniofacial Injuries Seen With the Introduction of Bicycle-Share Electric Scooters in an Urban Setting

PURPOSE

Standing electric scooters (e-scooters) are rapidly becoming popular modes of transportation in many urban areas across the United States. However, this increase in popularity has resulted in an increase in traumatic injuries associated with these modes of expedient travel. The purpose of the present study was to determine the types of craniofacial trauma directly related to e-scooter use in a major urban center (Dallas, TX).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We performed a retrospective case series and examined the medical records of the patients who had presented to the emergency department (ED) for trauma related to e-scooter use. Descriptive statistics were calculated for all variables on patient presentation, including incident notes and patient interviews, demographic information, diagnostic tests, trauma (ie, location, type, severity), treatment (ie, type, admission, outpatient referral, follow-up data), and contributing factors (ie, reported or detected alcohol use, use of protective equipment).

RESULTS

A total of 90 patients (56 males, 34 females; mean age, 31.8 years) had presented with scooter-related trauma to the ED during the first 7 months of scooters after their introduction to the metropolitan area. A total of 52 admissions (58% of all admissions) involved injuries of the head and face. The patients had presented with a myriad of craniofacial trauma, ranging from abrasions, lacerations, and concussions to intracranial hemorrhage and Le Fort II and III fractures. Of the 52 craniofacial injuries, 30 (58%) were considered severe (ie, fracture, internal hemorrhage, concussion, loss of consciousness), and 22 (42%) were considered minor (ie, lacerations, contusion, abrasion, dental). Alcohol use had been involved in 18% of all scooter-related trauma admissions, and no rider had reported wearing a helmet.

CONCLUSIONS

Injuries to the head and face were commonly found with e-scooter admissions in this sample, and the high prevalence of extremity injuries suggested that patients were breaking their fall during the crash. Craniofacial trauma related to e-scooter use could be significantly reduced by the wearing of a protective helmet.