A numerical investigation of e-scooter-to-vehicle traffic accidents.

Within the past decade, injuries caused by electric scooter (e-scooter) crashes have significantly increased. A common cause of fatalities for e-scooter riders is a collision between a car and an e-scooter. To develop a better understanding of the complex injury mechanisms in these collisions, four crashes between an e-scooter and a family car/sedan and a sports utility vehicle were simulated using finite element models. The vehicles impacted the e-scooter at a speed of 30 km/hr in a perpendicular collision, and at 15 degrees towards the vehicle, to simulate a rider being struck by a turning vehicle. The risks of serious injury to the rider were low for the head, brain, and neck, but femur/tibia fractures were observed in all simulations. The primary cause of head and brain injuries was found to be the head-ground impact in cases where such an impact occurred.