Electric scooter accidents are increasing in Switzerland
With more electric scooters on Swiss roads every year, the number of accidents increases. In 2021, around 2,500 accidents involving electric scooters occurred in Switzerland, according to an estimate by the public insurance company Suva.
The latest number is three times higher than the 800 accidents involving electric scooters estimated by Suva in 2019. Not all accidents in the Suva figures involved personal injury.
In 2020, the Federal Roads Office (FEDRO) recorded around 200 electric scooter accidents with injuries. There will be accidents that are not reported to ASTRA, said Nicolas Kessler, spokesman for the accident prevention office BPA, to RTS. To Mr. Kessler, electric scooter accidents are increasing significantly in Switzerland.
Certain patterns are evident from the data. Alcohol was the main cause in over a quarter of driver-only accidents. For the third parties, the main cause was the failure to give in to the priority party. In 63% of these accidents, the third party and not the scooter rider was to blame.
One problem is the difficulty other road users have in distinguishing between electric and non-electric scooters. Electric scooters go much faster. Therefore, it is easy for a motorist to underestimate a driver’s speed if they believe a scooter is not electric when it is.
The most serious injuries occurred in men aged 25 to 44, and most accidents occurred at dusk or at night.
With accidents on the rise, new regulations for electric scooters may not be far off. One idea is that scooters must have turn signals so drivers can signal turns. Speed limits and usage restrictions in certain zones are other possibilities.
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