In our Health Alert tonight, a new study reveals electric scooters are sending an alarming number of Americans to emergency rooms nationwide. And most are young adults.
E-scooters have become quite popular and as a result, so have trips to the ER.
In fact, a new study found that the accident rate almost tripled between 2014 and 2018. And because of this, hospital admission skyrocketed by 365% with nearly 40,000 reported injuries.
About one-third of these involved traumas to the head. Other common injuries included fractures like broken hands, broken wrists, broken legs, as well as cuts and bruises. Now as to who gets more injuries, men or women, well, that’d be men, accounting for roughly two-thirds of the injuries. And many riders were between the ages of 18 and 34.
Now e-scooters are a convenient mode of transportation, but the downside is that there are not many regulations. And because of this, many riders don’t wear helmets. Now I’m sure you’d agree with me that protecting your head and therefore your brain from getting a concussion or a bad injury is extremely important. So besides wearing a helmet, here are some other tips for those who like to use this form of transportation:
Partha’s RX
1. Ride responsibly. E-scooters may be fun and quick but you should avoid excessive speeds. Not just for yourself, but for the safety of others nearby.
2. Please don’t ride if you’ve been drinking. Just like driving a car, you can make bad judgment calls when under the influence of alcohol.
3. Avoid riding tandem. Standard scooters are for solo riders and adding another person can make the scooter harder to handle.
4. Lastly, watch out for uneven surfaces, rough terrain, and traffic. And please keep your eyes off your phone, you don’t want to be distracted when riding.
The bottom line is to be extra careful and know the rules and safety guidelines before using powered scooters. Or you just might unexpectedly end up in the ER with a very serious injury.
