Overview

• Police recorded 11,944 e‑scooter crashes with injuries in 2024, up 26.7% from 2023, with 27 deaths nationwide.
• Nearly half of fatal or severe cases were single‑vehicle incidents, and police identified alcohol as the main cause in 43% of those; collisions with curbs, bollards and signs made up about 32%.
• Crashes concentrate on Friday to Sunday and between 18:00 and 06:00, reflecting patterns seen in alcohol‑related incidents.
• Victims are predominantly young men, roughly half suffer head or facial injuries while severe head trauma is rare at about 2%, and experts see little evidence to justify a helmet law.
• The study urges larger 11–12 inch wheels and rental‑fleet upgrades, stronger alcohol checks and no speed increase to 25 km/h, and its lead researcher calls for a basic license and a higher minimum riding age of 15.