E-scooter accident in Hamm: escape of the person responsible causes excitement!

E-scooter accident in Hamm: escape of the person responsible causes excitement!

On Wednesday, July 2nd, there was a traffic accident in Hamm-Pelkum, which once again draws attention to the dangers in road traffic. At around 4:20 p.m., a 59-year-old woman who was traveling south on her Pedelec collided with an e-scooter driver. The latter came from an intersecting bike path and both bikers fell in the collision.

Fortunately, the accident had no serious consequences for the Pedelec driver, who sought medical treatment on her own. However, the e-scooter driver left a piece of paper with his phone number, which later turned out to be false. He is described as follows: a male teenager, around 17 to 19 years old, between 1.75 and 1.85 m tall, with blonde hair, wearing beige shorts, a light T-shirt and slippers. The Hamm police will receive information about this incident on 02381 916-0 or by email at notices.hamm@polizei.nrw.de. This is not the first incident of this kind, as groups of e-scooter riders are increasingly coming into the focus of the authorities.

Skepticism about the security situation

The current accident statistics paint a worrying picture. According to the Federal Statistical Office, the number of e-scooter accidents resulting in personal injury rose by 14% to 9,425 in 2023. Particularly alarming: The number of fatalities has doubled compared to the previous year - from 11 to 22. A large proportion of the accidents occurred due to incorrect road use or the influence of alcohol. This means that e-scooter riders are disproportionately involved in accidents; 66.3% of accidents were caused by the drivers themselves.

The accident statistics show that 83% of those who had an accident were sitting on the e-scooter themselves. Most of them are younger than 45 years: almost 80% fall into this age group, while over 41% are even younger than 25 years. These figures make it clear that young drivers in particular represent a large risk group.

E-scooters as unsafe means of transport?

The increasing number of e-scooters cannot be denied. Since these vehicles were approved in Germany on June 15, 2019, they have been rapidly gaining popularity. Nevertheless, an analysis shows that e-scooter accidents only account for around 0.6% of all traffic accidents, while bicycle accidents are significantly higher at 6%. However, these figures should not obscure the fact that 1,220 people were seriously injured in 2023 - a serious concern for police and road safety authorities.

The safety measures for e-scooter users are clearly defined: drivers must be at least 14 years old, must use cycle paths where possible and are subject to a 0.5 alcohol limit. However, the question remains: How safe is riding an e-scooter really? According to current reports, similar numbers of accidents and possible alcohol-related incidents are expected in 2024, which does not help to reassure the public.

The police therefore appeal to all road users to act responsibly and follow the traffic rules. This is the only way to ensure road safety.

For further information about accident statistics and safety when using e-scooters, readers can read the reports from news.de, destatis.de and emobility-insider.de consult.