New Zealand
E-scooters injuries rose markedly in Wellington after commercial e-scooters arrived, a new study shows. Doctors studied ACC claims through Wellington Hospital in two year-periods right before and after the introduction of commercial e-scooters. E-scooter related hospital visits increased over twenty-fold, while patients with broken bones went from one to more than a hundred. These injuries were almost twice as likely to need operations in Wellington than in Auckland, which the authors attribute to the mountainous landscape. They say rules and education around e-scooter speeds, drink-driving, and use of protective equipment would be helpful.
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Commercially operated e-scooters were introduced to Wellington City in June 2019. In the 2 years prior, there were two e-scooter–related orthopaedic fractures, compared with the 145 fractures sustained over the 2 years since their introduction. Twenty-nine percent of orthopaedic fractures required an operation. Intoxicated drivers were more likely to have open wounds associated with their limb fractures.
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