Overview

• Accident researchers analyzed more than 10,000 cases across ten federal states using police files, Berlin ER data and TU Berlin simulations from 2019–2024.
• About half of severe or fatal crashes involved no other road users, with alcohol identified as the main factor in roughly 43% of those single‑vehicle cases.
• Collisions with curbs, bollards and other obstacles feature prominently, with eight‑inch wheels linked to instability and loss of control.
• Researchers call for a driving entitlement at least at moped level—raising the effective minimum age to 15—larger wheels of at least ten inches, and tighter alcohol enforcement.
• The federal cabinet has backed higher €25 fines for sidewalk or two‑person riding and mandated turn signals on newly approved scooters from 2027, while licensing and wheel‑size rules remain under debate.