To mark Injury Prevention Week, Personal Injury Solicitor Natasha Layton discusses the use of e-scooters and how these can result in personal injuries...

What Is Injury Prevention Week?

Injury Prevention Week takes place between the 27th June - 1st July. The aim of this week is to prevent needless injuries by getting people to think about what they can do to help prevent harm. This year’s campaign is all centred around the hot topic of e-scooters.

E-Scooters

A study commissioned by Transport for London (TfL) indicates that riding an e-scooter could be 100 times more dangerous than riding a bicycle, and that e-scooter riders require medical treatment for injuries sustained in accidents on average every 3.1 years of use.

Injuries to e-scooter riders can be life-changing given they are entirely unprotected and often do not wear protective headgear or clothing. The government recommends that helmets are worn, but they are not required by law.

Although e-scooters have benefits such as being better for the environment than motor vehicles, they can be, in the hands of an inexperienced user, very dangerous.

The government will need to address this issue and the existing legislative framework regarding mixed road use to minimise risk of injury to e-scooter riders, their fellow road users, and the pedestrians.

The Association For Personal Injury Lawyers is using Injury Prevention Week 2022 to highlight the legislative and practical measures which would help to protect people and reduce the number of these incidents. You can read more about this on their website.

How Can We Help?

If you have experienced an accident involving an e-scooter or any other type of road traffic accident our Personal Injury team can help. You can get in touch by calling 01332 364436 or email at n.layton@timms-law.com. Alternatively, you can visit the Personal Injury page of our website here.