E-scooters and injury risk:

Meanwhile, the government's decision to extend authorised e-scooter rental trials until May 2028 reflects the continuing need to gather evidence on their safety and inform future legislation.[2]

This presents a particular challenge for insurers. Underwriting approaches to activities such as motorcycling have developed over time, supported by extensive research into accident rates, injuries and mortality. For e-scooters, however, the available evidence is still evolving.

A recent study published in Scientific Reports by Kungwengwe and colleagues provides valuable insight into this emerging area.[3] Using UK trauma data, the researchers compared injury patterns and severity among e-scooter riders, motorcyclists and pedal cyclists in England and Wales. The findings highlight some important differences, particularly in the types of injuries sustained by each group.

The relative risk of traumatic brain injury (TBI) was also 1.74 times higher among e-scooter riders than pedal cyclists. Traumatic brain injuries accounted for more than one-third of the injuries recorded among adult e-scooter riders, making head trauma a particularly important finding.

As previous work by HRUK shows, the importance of recognising the impact of TBI, even ‘mild concussion’ can in certain circumstances, lead to long-term health implications.[4]

These findings highlight the potential severity of injuries sustained by e-scooter riders and cyclists, despite differences in vehicle type and protective equipment requirements. The findings overall corroborate a US city wide study from Austin, Texas in 2018 which showed e-scooter injury rate was approximately 175 to 200 times higher than other motor vehicle travel.[5]

The evidence suggests e-scooters are primarily a morbidity rather than mortality risk. Whilst fatality rates appear relatively low, accident frequency is high and injury patterns include traumatic brain injury, internal organ injury and fractures that may result in prolonged periods of disability rather than death.

For Life and Critical Illness business, the current evidence is unlikely to justify specific underwriting questions or rating actions. However, the implications may be more relevant for Income Protection, Waiver of Premium and disability-related benefits, where claim duration rather than mortality is the key concern. In these areas, there may be a case for considering additional underwriting questions or rules relating to e-scooter use.

From a claims perspective, the greatest potential impact is likely to arise from traumatic brain injury and post-concussion syndromes. These injuries can lead to prolonged absence from work, rehabilitation requirements and delayed return-to-work outcomes despite relatively low mortality.