Ebike and Escooter Accidents & Fatalities Trends (2025)
Ebike and escooter accidents have occurred with greater frequency as the devices become more common. Learn about the causes and effects of these crashes.
How many ebike and escooter accidents in the US? Quick Answer
E-bike accidents surged from approximately 3,500 in 2017 to 34,200 in 2023, growing rapidly each year. E-scooter accidents also rose significantly, increasing from 7,700 in 2017 to 40,400 in 2023.
Summary
Ebike and escooter accidents are rising nationwide
Due to higher speed, there are significant injuries and fatalities
Accidents often result from inattention, inexperience, vehicle collisions
The use of ebikes and escooters has exploded. Advances in battery technology made these vehicles practical for commuters and recreational users. Companies created ebike and escooter rental systems in most major cities for anyone who wants to ride one but cannot afford to buy it.
This increase in popularity has also led to a rise in ebike and escooter accidents. Statistics are difficult to find because many cities and states group ebikes and escooters with conventional bikes and scooters in their crash reporting systems. As a result, it’s difficult to know exactly how many ebike and escooter accidents per year injure or kill riders.
Your right to personal injury compensation depends on how your injuries happened. Thus, understanding the causes of these crashes and the injuries that typically result will help riders injured in ebike and escooter accidents pursue compensation for their injuries.
Statistics for Ebike and Escooter Accidents
The scope of the problem is significant. A study by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission found the following numbers for the six years between 2017 and 2023:
Approximately 209,600 emergency room visits by escooter riders
Approximately 87,400 emergency room visits by ebike riders
These numbers give an annual average of 29,943 escooter accidents and 12,471 ebike accidents. However, this number is misleading because the injury numbers have increased annually.
The study also found 164 escooter deaths and 193 ebike deaths over the same period. These numbers give an average of 23.4 escooter deaths and 27.6 ebike deaths per year.
Number of Fatalities Associated With E-Scooters and E-Bikes Accidents in U.S., 2017-2023
This difference raises an interesting question. Why do these two devices have roughly the same number of deaths when over three times as many people suffer injuries on escooters as on ebikes? The answer comes in the causes of these crashes.
Causes of Ebike and Escooter Injuries
A small-scale study in Washington, D.C., found that electric scooter accidents differ significantly from ebike accidents. Ebike injuries tend to happen on roads, and over 37% involve motor vehicles. In other words, ebike accidents are mostly traffic-related. Since ebikes are typically hit in car accidents, they result in many more deaths.
By contrast, escooter accidents are less likely to happen on roads or involve motor vehicles. Instead, these accidents occur more often on sidewalks, parking lots or trails. Rather than getting hit by cars, escooter riders tend to suffer injuries when they hit pedestrians or lose control while riding.
Across all micro-mobility devices including ebikes, escooters and hoverboards, some common causes of accidents related to the rider include the following:
Inattention
Inexperience
Loss of control
Roughly 13% of escooter crashes and 37.7% of ebike crashes involve motor vehicles. Driver-related causes of these crashes include:
Distracted driving
Inattentional blindness
Misjudging the distance or speed of the ebike or escooter
Many drivers are unfamiliar with the capabilities and limitations of ebikes and escooters. These devices also operate very quietly. Some crashes happen when inattentive drivers fail to spot these devices on the road even when they are in plain sight.
Consequences of Ebike and Escooter Crashes
Injuries from ebikes and escooters differ. Escooter riders are more likely to injure their feet, ankles and legs. Ebike riders, on the other hand, tended to injure their chests, abdomens, spines and shoulders. Both devices have similar head injury rates. Significantly, a helmet reduces the odds of a head injury by up to 50 percent.
These injuries can result in significant financial losses. Head, chest and abdominal injuries can threaten a patient’s life. Upper and lower extremity injuries can cause significant disabilities, preventing the crash victim from working.
Legal Liability for Ebike and Escooter Collisions
The same laws that govern bicycle accidents govern ebike and escooter crashes. When someone collides with your ebike or escooter, you determine legal liability using negligence law.
If you acted negligently in operating your micro-mobility device, you may be liable for any damage caused to the device and the other vehicle. You might also have no injury claim.
When a negligent driver hits you, they are liable for your injuries and the damage to your ebike or escooter, even if it was a rental. To pursue compensation, you will file an insurance claim with the driver’s auto insurer.
Learn More About Ebike and Escooter Crashes From ConsumerShield
ConsumerShield provides educational resources to injured consumers. After you get injured in an ebike or escooter crash, you may face significant impacts on your physical and financial well-being. We will evaluate your situation for free and refer you to a lawyer who can provide legal advice and representation in any injury claim you pursue. Fill out our contact form to request your free case evaluation.
Sarah Edwards
Contributor
Sarah Edwards is a seasoned legal writer with more than a decade of experience.
All vehicles can crash. But escooter use causes more injuries than ebike use. This does not mean escooters are more dangerous. Instead, it might reflect the differences in how escooters are used. Many riders use escooters on sidewalks, leading to collisions with pedestrians.
These accidents are not necessarily common in the sense that they happen frequently compared to how often riders use them. Crashes are still fairly rare compared to the number of people who ride them. But the crash numbers are increasing as they become more accessible and more people try riding them.
The majority of ebike accidents are single-vehicle accidents where the bike hits a stationary object or runs off the road. The most common cause of these crashes is loss of control. Many riders take time to adjust to ebikes, and they risk crashing while they learn how to use them.
After a crash, you should stop at the accident scene and exchange information with the driver who hit you. If you were riding a rental device, you may be responsible for damage unless you get the driver’s insurance information. Report the accident to the police and seek appropriate medical attention.
