Israel Sees More E-Bike Injuries Than Electric Scooter Injuries, Report Says

The speedy rise in popularity of electric vehicles has, in the first quarter of 2019, led to a year-over-year increase in the number of electric scooter accidents that end up in hospitalizations, from eight in the first quarter of 2018, to 15 in the same period this year, according to a new report published by the central Israeli hospital Sheba Medical Center’s Gertner Institute for Health Policy and Epidemiology.

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According to the report, the number of electric bicycle-caused hospitalizations is far more significant, decreasing from 157 in the first quarter of 2018 to 116 in the same period this year. The report only includes people who were hospitalized and required treatment and supervision and excludes people with lighter injuries or who sought medical assistance and were discharged the same day.

The number of people who were classified as severely injured by electric scooters as well as electric bikes fell slightly to 16 in the first quarter this year, compared to 18 in the first quarters of both 2017 and 2018.

Almost all of those who suffered serious head injuries were not wearing a helmet at the time of the accident, the report said.