NEW RESEARCH FROM the Road Safety Authority has found that nearly one in four e-scooter users have been involved in collisions in the past 12 months. 

The data comes from a survey conducted by Ipsos B&A. It further found that one in three e-scooter riders have been involved in a “near miss” incident on the roads in the same time period. 

All of the collisions reported through the study involved male riders, while 76% of e-scooter users overall were men. 

The study found that 5% of adults (aged 16 and over) have used an e-scooter in the last 12 months. 

Dr John Cronin, Emergency Medicine Consultant at St Vincent’s Hospital, said that the RSA’s findings align with the kind of injuries that are being seen in emergency departments. 

“I’ve seen just how frequent and serious the injuries can be when things go wrong – from broken bones to serious head trauma. E-scooter users have very little protection and very little room for error, especially when mixing with larger, faster vehicles,” he said. 

Cronin added that doctors have seen an alarming number of incidents involving young people who rode e-scooters with no helmet, or where the vehicles were ridden in inappropriate settings. 

He urged e-scooter users and others on the road to stay “alert and respectful” in order to prevent lives from being “tragically lost or forever altered by serious injury”. 

Cronin stressed that e-scooters do offer “real mobility benefits”, but added that people need to be aware of the high risk of injury. 

Around 1 in 10 respondents to the survey indicated that they carry a child or adult passenger, while 3 in 5 wear a helmet, and 2 in 3 wear reflective gear. 

Sarah O’Connor, the Director of Partnerships and External Affairs said that risk-taking behaviours by e-scooter users is “of concern”, especially and e-scooter use continues to grow.