NBC Nightly News: Scooter Safety
NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt recently interviewed Sam Torbati, MD, medical director of the Ruth and Harry Roman Emergency Department at Cedars-Sinai for a report on the rising rates of electric scooter-related injuries and deaths. – and the growing number of cities putting restrictions on these population modes of transportation.
According to the report by NBC journalist Vicky Nguyen, in 2018, motorized scooters accounted for 39 million rides across the country. Riders love the ease of riding the environmentally-friendly scooters for a quick trip. But some of those rides have resulted in serious injuries and even death, most recently in Atlanta, Georgia. Even more, a recent study recently found head and facial injuries caused by electric scooters tripled between 2007 and 2008.
“We are seeing significant injuries to the head and face,” Torbati said. “We treat patients with broken faces, broken noses, cuts and even some people with injuries to their necks.”
A recent study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed that almost half of e-scooter injuries involve head trauma and 27% involved upper extremity fractures. The study stated that many of the head injuries could have been prevented if the riders had worn helmets.
The study also found that the injury rate was 14.3 per 100,000 trips and that 29% of injuries were connected to first-time riders.
As a result of those injuries, Nguyen reported, many cities are struggling with the balance of scooter safety and convenience.
Click here to watch the complete scooter report, which begins at the 16 minute mark.
Read more on the Cedars-Sinai Blog: Don't Let Your Electric Scooter Ride End in the ER