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HomeMy WebLinkAboutR5AC MICROMOBILITY SAFETYMICROMOBILITY SAFETY Office of Commissioner Tanya K. Bhatt Severe Data Gap: An Unquantifiable Crisis? The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) identified systemic barriers to accurate tracking of micromobility crashes: Lack of complete, consistent, reliable data across states and cities. Inadequate data coding in police reports, hospital systems, and federal databases, making it difficult to even identify e -bike or e-scooter crashes. Poor trip data, meaning cities often don’t know where, when, or how much these devices are being used. No standardized classification in systems like MMUCC, Traffic Monitoring Guide, or ICD -10-CM. August 6, 2025 •Moments before the collision, the scooter was riding southbound on Pennsylvania Avenue when witnesses say it ran a red light and barreled into the car, which was headed east on 11 th •Miami Beach Police said the scooter operator was taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital's Ryder Trauma Center in critical condition but died from his injuries https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/miami-beach/article311608944.html December 26, 2025 •Doctors at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital say they are seeing a troubling increase in serious trauma cases tied to e -scooters and e - bikes. •“They are coming in quite severe. Such as multiple broken bones, internal organ damage, and in some cases punctured lungs .” - Dr. Patricio Lau, a pediatric trauma surgeon at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital https://www.local10.com/health/2025/12/26/pediatric-e-bike-injuries-more-than-double-south-florida-doctors-warn-of-troubling-trend/ December 12, 2025 •Magness was a passenger on the scooter when it collided with a pedestrian in the area of the Venetian Causeway and East San Marino Drive. •Magness, the male who was driving the scooter, and the pedestrian, all suffered significant injuries and were taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital's Ryder Trauma Center. •The 26-year-old singer died from her injuries at the hospital. https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/miami-beach/article311608944.html August 23, 2025 •15 -year-old was riding a 2025 Surron Ultra Bee (59 MPH top speed) •Collided with a 53-year-old Fabian Moses, who was riding a bicycle on the Rickenbacker Causeway. Miami Fire Rescue took Moses to the Jackson’s Ryder Trauma, where doctors later pronounced him dead. https://www.local10.com/news/2025/08/23/teenage-boy-faces-charges-after-fatal-crash-while-on-electric-dirt-bike-in-miami/ Explosion in Use, Explosion in Injuries 2017-2022 University of California, San Francisco, conducted a cross -sectional study with data from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS), which provided estimates of patients with injuries presenting to US emergency departments in relation to e -bicycle injuries. Between 2017 and 2022 45,586 e -bike injuries resulting in 5,462 hospitalizations E-bike injuries increased 30 -fold,and hospitalizations rose 43 -fold Head trauma due to e -bikes was 49 times higher than in 2017 Helmet usage among injured riders remained low —only 44% wore helmets, worsening the severity of outcomes Explosion in Use, Explosion in Injuries Part Deux: 2017-2021 U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) staff presents available statistics on injury estimates, fatalities, and hazar d patterns associated with three micromobility products: e -scooters, hoverboards, and e -bikes, via Fernandez, Adrian M et al. “Electric Bicycle Injuries and Hospitalizations.” JAMA surgery vol. 159,5 (2024): 586-588. doi:10.1001/jamasurg.2023.7860 All E-devices (267.7k visits) Estimated ED visits associated w/micromobility increased 127%(34k to 77.2k) E-scooters Only (117.6k visits) ED visits associated with e -scooters increased 448%(7.7k to 42.2k) 2021 ED -treated e -scooter injuries of 42,200 increased 66% from prior year Speed Directly Escalates Severity A review of national fatality data by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) E-Scooters (68 fatalities; 2017-2021) Motor vehicle collisions were the leading cause of death at almost 73% E-Bikes (53 fatalities; 2017-2021) Motor vehicle collisions were the leading cause of death at almost 51% 10 out of 10 Doctors Say... In June 2025 the American College of Surgeons adressed these issues: Over 1.1 million electric bicycles sold in U.S. in 2022 with a projected annual growth rate of 10%.1,2 Over 20,000 people are injured while riding electric bicycles annually with approximately 3,000 individuals requiring hospitalization, and this is l ikely underreported.3 The rate of electric bicycle injuries is increasing annually.4,5 Electric bicycle injuries are more severe than their manual bicycle counterparts.6,7 10 out of 10 Doctors Say... Rising rates of pediatric e -scooter injuries —particularly among boys aged 11 to 14 years —reflect a convergence of developmental, environmental, and behavioral risk factors, according to Mary Beth Howard, MD, MSc, assistant professor at Johns Hopkins Medicine. Early adolescents are at heightened risk because of ongoing cognitive and behavioral maturation . At this stage, youth often exhibit increased risk-taking, limited judgment, and relatively little experience navigating traffic environments. These developmental traits are compounded by the fact that e -scooters can reach greater speeds than traditional scooters or bicycles, creating a mismatch between rider capability and device performance . Environmental conditions further amplify this risk. Many children ride e -scooters in mixed-traffic settings without access to protected infrastructure such as dedicated bike lanes. Urban environments, where scooter availability is often highest, may lack safe spaces designed for younger riders, increasing the likelihood of collisions and falls. Counseling families on helmet use, adherence to traffic rules, and awareness of speed risks. At the policy level, advocacy for the enforcement of helmet laws, age restrictions, and speed limits is critical. In the Netherlands, rising car ownership led to thousands of traffic deaths, including 400 children in 1971, prompting the "Stop de Kindermoord" (Stop Child Murder) movement. In 1978, at the movement's peak, 15,000 Amsterdammers gathered in Museumplein to demand change from their elected officials. Within months, Council passed a plan by 38 votes to 7.