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In almost half of all fatal electric scooter crashes in Sweden, the rider has been under the influence of alcohol. These fatal crashes occur mainly in the evenings or through the night, and in all cases, no helmet has been worn. This is shown by a new study from Chalmers University of Technology, in Sweden, and the Swedish Transport Administration. The study also states that most fatal crashes occur with private electric scooters, rather than rentals.
The researchers have analysed all fatal crashes involving electric scooters, electric bicycles and conventional bicycles in Sweden between 2016 and 2024.
Alcohol is often a factor in fatal crashes occurring with all three of these vehicle types – but the figures for electric scooters stand out. Of the fatal e-scooter crashes, 44 per cent of the riders were under the influence of alcohol, compared to 27 per cent among e-bike riders and 13 per cent among cyclists.
More specifically the levels of alcohol in the blood have been shown to be high across all three groups. Of the e-scooter riders that were under the influence of alcohol, the median blood alcohol content was 1.8 per mille. This can be compared to the legal limit of alcohol content in the blood for driving a car in Sweden, which is 0.2 per mille, above which it is considered drunk driving, and 1.0 per mille in the blood which is considered aggravated drunk driving.
