The Plague of Injuries After Electric Scooter Accidents

Injuries related to electric scooter accidents, primarily involving young people, have become a "plague" in Gorzów Wielkopolski. The most common injuries are head injuries and fractures, warn medics from the city's provincial hospital. On Thursday, they held a briefing on the matter.

"We can confidently say that scooter-related injuries are a plague. This is especially true this year. It started last year, but this year, there's hardly a week that goes by without at least a few patients being hospitalized with various types of injuries related to riding electric scooters," noted Tomasz Grzechnik, MD, head of the Pediatric Surgery Department at the Multi-Specialty Provincial Hospital in Gorzów Wielkopolski.

He added that he was not talking here about patients who are treated on an outpatient basis or who have minor injuries or fractures that do not require surgical treatment, but about those who require hospital treatment, very often surgical treatment.

Grzechnik said that last week alone, six patients were hospitalized, mostly children. He believes they often fail to follow any safety rules for using e-scooters.

"Scooters are for people, just like bicycles, and all possible sports, but any activity of this type should be conducted according to certain rules. A helmet is a must—that's the first step. Right now, we have a boy in the ward with a fractured skull and intracranial bleeding. Fortunately, he's in good condition. Two days ago, we discharged a boy with similar injuries. All of them weren't wearing helmets," the doctor emphasized.

In his opinion, it is enough to drive through a larger city to see how many young people, but also adults, ride without helmets.

- I am fully aware of the plague of this type of injuries, so from this place we would like to appeal to young people, but also to their parents, to follow certain road safety rules - said Grzechnik.

He mentioned that these include wearing a helmet, riding the scooter alone without other people, and a basic knowledge of traffic regulations. Another problem is unlocking the factory safety devices that limit the scooters' maximum speed.

- An appeal to parents, including the uniformed services - to sensitize young people to training, to obtain bicycle cards, to obtain category A1 driving licenses, so that these young people, when they set off on the road, have at least a basic understanding of certain rules - said Grzechnik.

The head of the ward pointed out that there have already been fatal accidents involving electric scooters in Poland.

"Knock on wood, thank God we haven't had any such injuries yet, although this year, since (...) the beautiful weather – since May – the children who were in critical condition have been in critical condition. Fortunately, they're all alive," he concluded.

On Monday (August 18), in a village near Górzów, two boys, ages 11 and 13, were riding an electric scooter. At one point, the driver lost control and the boys fell. They were taken to hospital with broken bones.

Two days earlier, on August 16, a 9-year-old and a 13-year-old riding an electric scooter together were hit by an Opel driver on Sikorskiego Street in Gorzów Wielkopolski. Fortunately, they suffered only minor injuries.

The regulations clearly outline the responsibilities of scooter riders. They are required to use roads where vehicle speeds are limited to 30 km/h, unless there is a cycle path, pedestrian or bicycle path, or bicycle lane.

The use of a pedestrian path by an electric scooter rider is permitted in exceptional cases when the pedestrian path is located along a road on which vehicle traffic is permitted at a speed exceeding 30 km/h and there is no cycle path, pedestrian and cycle path or bicycle lane.

An electric scooter rider is prohibited from: pulling or towing another vehicle; transporting another person, animal or cargo; riding on the road, except for using a bicycle lane, bicycle crossing and a road on which vehicle traffic is permitted at a speed not exceeding 30 km/h, in the absence of a bicycle path, pedestrian and bicycle path or bicycle lane.

The police remind everyone that it is prohibited to allow a child under 10 years of age to operate an electric scooter or other personal transport device on the road. In residential areas, children under 10 years of age may only operate an electric scooter or other personal transport device if accompanied by an adult.

To ride an electric scooter, persons aged 10 to 18 years old must have a bicycle card or a driving license of category AM, A1, B1 or T. (PAP)

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