DETROIT — At least 119 people died while riding electric scooters or e-bikes from 2017 through 2021, according to a study by the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board released Tuesday.
The agency, which investigates traffic crashes but has no regulatory authority, used its research to call for better data collection on “micro mobility” deaths and injuries.
Multiple government agencies have jurisdiction over e-scooters and e-bikes, and the NTSB recommended they all gather data to create a more accurate picture of how many people are hurt or killed. The scooters and bikes have spread across the country, especially in large cities and college towns where they are widely used with little oversight.
“E-scooter and e-bike growth as an industry and a popular form of transportation is clear,” the report said. “What is less clear is how transportation safety professionals best go about assessing the safety of these devices as a form of transportation, and the safety of the riders who use them.”