E-scooter accidents in Mönchengladbach: Injuries and deaths are increasing!

E-scooter accidents in Mönchengladbach: Injuries and deaths are increasing!

Whimpers and groans are in the air as the city of Mönchengladbach struggles with a worrying series of accidents. Let's scroll back to Tuesday, July 1st, when a 29-year-old was seriously injured in a turning accident in Wickrath. A van, driven by a 49-year-old, was waiting at a red light when suddenly everything collapsed. After changing the traffic light, the driver wanted to turn right into Hocksteiner Weg, while the scooter driver just wanted to cross the street. A serious crash was the bitter consequence that brought the young woman to the hospital, as rp-online.de reports.

However, Tuesday was not the only day with accident reports. Just a day later, on Thursday evening, a tragic incident occurred. There was a collision on Krefelder Straße between a 58-year-old e-scooter driver and a VW Touareg driven by a 71-year-old. This encounter ended fatally for the e-scooter driver, whose life could not be saved despite emergency services quickly deployed. The exact cause of the accident is still a mystery and is being investigated by the police, as tag24.de reports.

An alarming trend

What's going on in Mönchengladbach? If you take a look at the statistics, it quickly becomes clear that such incidents are not isolated. In 2023, the number of e-scooter accidents resulting in personal injury increased by 14.1% compared to the previous year - and those aren't the only worrying numbers. From 11 fatalities in 2022, the numbers doubled to 22 in 2023. What is particularly alarming is the fact that 41.6% of the e-scooter drivers involved in accidents were under 25 years old. In addition, 60% of all accidents occurred in large cities, which illustrates the urgency of the situation, reports destatis.de.

The most common causes of these accidents include improper road use and the influence of alcohol, which puts drivers' responsibility at the forefront. What is particularly worrying is that 48.0% of accidents occurred while interacting with cars. The e-scooter, which has been subject to compulsory insurance since its introduction to road traffic in Germany on June 15, 2019, was involved in 3.2% of all accidents with personal injury.

Safety matters

So what can we do to stop these dangerous trends? Safety is in our hands! E-scooter riders are asked to follow the rules: use of bicycle paths or protective lanes is mandatory, while sidewalks are taboo. A minimum age of 14 for drivers and a 0.5 alcohol limit cannot be ignored. People under 21 and new drivers should avoid alcohol completely.

It is to be hoped that both those responsible and the drivers will seriously work on their safety in order to avoid such tragic accidents in the future. Stay safe and responsible on the roads!