Concerns over the safety of electric scooters are continuing to emerge around the world, with new Swedish research highlighting many of the same issues being debated in Australia and other countries.
A study by Chalmers University of Technology and the Swedish Transport Administration found that almost half of all fatal e-scooter crashes in Sweden involved riders under the influence of alcohol, while none of those who died were wearing a helmet.
The researchers analysed every fatal crash involving electric scooters, e-bikes and conventional bicycles in Sweden between 2016 and 2024. Of the 18 fatal e-scooter crashes, 44 per cent involved alcohol, compared with 26.5 per cent for e-bike riders and 12.5 per cent for cyclists.
Professor Marco Dozza said alcohol intoxication appeared to be a particularly serious problem among e-scooter riders.
He said many riders who died were not only intoxicated but had extremely high blood alcohol levels, with a median reading of 1.8 per mille – well above Sweden's legal drink-driving limit for motorists.
The study also found that fatal e-scooter crashes typically involved younger riders, occurred at night or on weekends and were usually single-vehicle incidents. In contrast, fatal bicycle crashes more commonly involved older riders and collisions with motor vehicles during daylight hours.
Researchers believe the findings demonstrate that safety measures need to be tailored to different forms of transport rather than adopting a one-size-fits-all approach.
Another significant finding was that almost nine out of 10 alcohol-related e-scooter fatalities involved privately owned scooters rather than rental vehicles. While many cities have introduced speed restrictions and operating limits for shared scooters, those measures generally do not apply to privately owned machines.
The researchers believe technology capable of detecting impaired riding could eventually reduce crashes, but they argue that changing rider behaviour and improving education will remain essential.
The findings reinforce that e-scooter safety is not confined to one country. Issues including alcohol use, limited helmet wearing, rider behaviour and regulation are increasingly being faced by governments and transport authorities worldwide as electric scooters become a permanent part of the urban transport landscape.