The Government must tackle the ongoing issue of dangerous e-scooter use by enforcing more rigorous reporting of collisions and injuries, according to its safety advisory group.

Fewer than 10% of e-scooter casualties attending emergency departments were recorded in official data

A new report from the independent Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety (PACTS) found fewer than 10% of e-scooter casualties attending emergency departments were recorded in official data over a two-month period in late 2021.

And only a quarter of those most seriously injured in collisions involving e-scooters were recorded by both the police and at hospitals. Patients with injuries to the head, face and spine were more likely to be recorded by the police than other injuries, regardless of the severity of their injuries.

The group, which advises the Government on air, rail and road safety issues, also warned that records from the Government’s e-scooter rental trials, designed to “build robust evidence about the safety”, cannot be readily matched with official data from police records.

It’s calling on the Government to ensure casualty data is collected more rigorously during the trials, recently extended to May 2026, to increase understanding of the hazard and danger of e-scooter use. This includes updating guidance to operators and local authorities so data collection more closely aligns with recording systems the police use.

The research also calls for the public to be made aware of the obligations of reporting road traffic collisions to the police, including those involving e-scooters on public roads and public places, to increase collision transparency.

In July 2020, the Government fast-tracked legislation to allow rental trials of e-scooters run by local authorities to open up more flexible and greener travel solutions while also cutting public transport usage in the pandemic. The trials are now live in 23 regions across England. However, planned laws to legalise private e-scooters have repeatedly been delayed as the Government evaluates findings from the trials.

Margaret Winchcomb, PACTS deputy executive director, said: “Mobility choice is changing. Smaller, zero-emissions vehicles, such as e-scooters are popular, be they illegally ridden private vehicles or regulated rental e-scooters. For all, it is essential that the methods for measuring their hazard to riders and danger to other road users are consistent and robust so that safety is adequately understood.”

A DfT spokesperson said: “Safety remains our top priority, which is why we work closely with police to regularly review and strengthen data around e-scooter incidents.”

The full PACTS report on ‘Comparing police and hospital e-scooter casualty datasets’, is available here. The report was funded by the Road Safety Trust.