In a concerning development, Avon and Somerset Police have reported a significant rise in road traffic incidents involving electric scooters in Bristol.
Over the past year, approximately 100 serious accidents have been linked to these devices, according to figures disclosed at a recent council meeting. This represents about 10% of the city’s total number of severe injuries and fatalities, as well as a similar proportion of slight casualties.
Mark Sperduty, Group Manager for Road Safety, presented the data to councillors, emphasizing the seriousness of the situation.
“It’s about 100 a year we’ve had through police information—about 10% of our killed or seriously injured, and 10% of our slight casualties across the city,” Sperduty said. He stressed that these numbers indicate a significant issue, despite the proportion of total incidents being relatively small.
The statistics encompass both legal e-scooters operated by Tier and illegal scooters. However, experts from Bristol City Council believe these figures might underrepresent the true scale of the problem. Hospital reports suggest that the actual number of incidents could be higher than what has been officially recorded.
Nick Smith, Strategic Intelligence and Performance Manager, highlighted the discrepancy in the data. “We believe incidents related to e-scooters are the particular cause behind the rise. It’s a small number, but it is rising,” Smith noted.
He pointed out that unconfirmed reports from hospital staff suggest a higher incidence rate than reported to the scooter companies. Under a previous contract with Voi, for example, hospitals recorded up to ten times as many accidents as were reported to the company.
The city’s officials are exploring whether the rise in incidents is due to the specific nature of e-scooters or whether these riders would have been involved in accidents with other modes of transportation.
Smith acknowledged the uncertainty, stating, “Whether or not those people riding scooters would have used a different mode of transport, and got injured through that, we just don’t know.”
In an effort to address the safety concerns, the council is hopeful that the introduction of new e-bikes by Tier might help mitigate the problem. These e-bikes are considered safer due to their larger wheels, which could potentially reduce the number of accidents.
Councillor Heather Mack, Deputy Leader of the council, emphasized the broader context of the issue. “There’s a bigger picture on this. Do we think having scooters and different methods of travelling has a broader public health benefit, that might be more significant than a number of incidents?”
Mack argued that despite the safety concerns, e-scooters offer an alternative to motorized vehicles that contribute to pollution.
E-scooters have been a fixture on Bristol’s streets since 2020 when Voi began its rental trial. Last year, Tier took over the operation of these scooters. As the city grapples with these safety challenges, officials continue to weigh the benefits of alternative transportation against the rise in road traffic incidents.
With a city-wide target for zero serious injuries or fatalities from road traffic incidents, Bristol’s leaders are committed to addressing these concerns while evaluating the overall impact of e-scooters and other new travel methods on public health and safety.
