E-Scooter Riders Face Higher Brain Injury Risk Than Motorcyclists. Lawmakers Want a Fix

E-scooter riders face higher risks of traumatic brain injury than motorcyclists, according to a study published Thursday in Nature’s Scientific Reports. Researchers from Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in London analyzed 38,440 records covering England and Wales from 2020 to 2024, comparing injury patterns between e-scooter users and motorcyclists. The study found e-scooter riders had higher relative risks of traumatic brain injury, internal organ injury, and vascular trauma. Injuries also disproportionately affected children and teens: 16.2% of e-scooter injuries involved riders under 18 versus 6.2% for motorcycle injuries. Helmet documentation was also low for e-scooters, at 5.9%, compared with 75.7% for motorcyclists.