Current:Home > NewsInjuries from e-bikes and e-scooters spiked again last year, CPSC finds -WealthMindset Learning
Injuries from e-bikes and e-scooters spiked again last year, CPSC finds
View
Date:2025-04-18 06:31:27
As e-scooters, hoverboards and e-bikes increase in popularity, emergency rooms are seeing a surge in injuries — fractures, contusions, burns and cuts — related to the products, continuing a multiyear trend, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission finds in a report released Tuesday.
Injuries related to micromobility devices including e-scooters, e-bikes and hoverboards have risen an estimated 23% each year since 2017, surging nearly 21% last year from 2021, the federal agency said in its report which is based on data collected from U.S. hospitals.
There have been at least 233 deaths tied to the products from 2017 through 2022, but the count is likely higher as reporting is "ongoing and incomplete," CPSC said. Hospital emergency departments treated an estimated 360,800 injuries related to the products during that time, according to the report.
About 36% of the injuries during the six-year period involved kids 14 years and younger — double their 18% proportion of the overall population, the agency noted. Nearly half, or 46%, of all estimated e-bike injuries from 2017 to 2022 occurred in 2022 alone. Hoverboard injuries, however, declined 26% from 2021 to 2022, according to CPSC.
Fires related to the devices are a significant hazard, killing at least 19 people from Jan. 1, 2021, through Nov. 28, 2022, CPSC noted.
Not included in that count are four deaths and two serious injuries stemming from an overnight fire in an e-bike repair shop in New York City in June. Fire officials say the blaze rapidly spread to residences above the shop after a lithium-ion battery malfunctioned.
Fires from the rechargeable batteries that keep e-bikes, scooters and electric cars running burn hotter and longer than gas, increasing the danger and proving a challenge for fire departments.
That risk prompted Yale University to ban e-scooters from any of its residential properties including undergraduate dormitories just before the start of the fall semester, with the New Haven, Connecticut, institution following a like ban by Columbia University.
veryGood! (37)
Related
- Juan Soto praise of Mets' future a tough sight for Yankees, but World Series goal remains
- South Korea’s Yoon calls for strong security cooperation with US, Japan ahead of Camp David summit
- A Community-Led Approach to Stopping Flooding Expands in the Chicago Region
- New York judge denies request for recusal from Trump criminal case
- Alex Murdaugh’s murder appeal cites biased clerk and prejudicial evidence
- Former NFL Player Alex Collins Dead at 28
- How U.S. Steel, Monday.com's share jumps may reignite stock market after weekslong slump
- These 7 Las Vegas resorts had bedbugs over the last 18 months
- New data highlights 'achievement gap' for students in the US
- While a criminal case against a Tesla driver ends, legal and ethical questions on Autopilot endure
Ranking
- Woman dies after Singapore family of 3 gets into accident in Taiwan
- A Wisconsin prison is battling a mice infestation, advocacy group says
- July was the hottest month on Earth since U.S. temperature records began, scientists say
- As people fled the fires, pets did too. Some emerged with marks of escape, but many remain lost.
- Krispy Kreme offers a free dozen Grinch green doughnuts: When to get the deal
- Selena Gomez Has the Last Laugh After Her Blanket Photo Inspires Viral Memes
- CNN shakes up lineup with new shows for Chris Wallace, Abby Phillip, more
- Retail sales rose solidly last month in a sign that consumers are still spending freely
Recommendation
A Mississippi company is sentenced for mislabeling cheap seafood as premium local fish
Body of man found floating in Colorado River in western Arizona identified
Magoo, Timbaland's former musical partner, dies at 50
Bruce Willis’ Wife Emma Heming Shares She’s “Not Good” and Feels “Doom and Gloom”
New Mexico governor seeks funding to recycle fracking water, expand preschool, treat mental health
Kentucky’s GOP candidate for governor unveiled his education plan. Tutoring is a big part of it
Archaeologists uncover Europe's oldest lakeside village underwater, find treasure trove
MLB investigating Rays shortstop Wander Franco as team puts him on restricted list