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.
"Alcohol intoxication is a common issue among all road users, but it appears to be particularly severe among riders of electric scooters. Not only were many fatally injured e‑scooter riders intoxicated, but their levels of intoxication were also extremely high," says Marco Dozza, Professor of Active Safety and Road User Behaviour at Chalmers University of Technology, and senior researcher in the study.
Lack of helmets worn in those killed
The study also showed that helmet use in fatal crashes was very low. Of those fatally injured riding an e-scooter, none were wearing a helmet. And for those killed riding an e-bike or a bicycle, only about 25 per cent were wearing a helmet.
Head injuries were the most common cause of death in all groups.
"The numbers speak for themselves. Since the head is the area of the body that is most affected by a fatal injury and almost no one wears a helmet, we have a clear opportunity to save lives. A helmet is not a guarantee but improves the chances dramatically, so we should do everything we can to encourage helmet use," says Rahul Rajendra Pai, doctoral student at Chalmers and first author of the study.
"I think many people don't understand the danger of using an electric scooter under the influence of alcohol, and think that the vehicle doesn't go that fast," says Marco Dozza. “But it is enough hitting a stone on the road or a small hole in the ground to lose balance, especially when intoxicated, because alcohol slows down cognition and reactions. If you don't wear a helmet, it may end up even worse”.
Different crash patterns for different vehicles
The study included 204 deaths, and the researchers saw clear differences between the three vehicle types in terms of rider and crash patterns.
In fatal crashes involving ordinary bicycles, the median age of the cyclist was 71 years old. The crashes often occurred on weekdays and usually involved collisions with motor vehicles.
Fatal e-scooter crashes looked different. The riders had a median age of 47.5 years old, and most of the crashes were single vehicle crashes that occurred at weekends, evenings and nights.
According to the researchers, the results indicate the need for measures and regulations to be adapted to the different types of vehicles.
"The typical fatal bicycle crash, with an elderly cyclist being hit by a motor vehicle in daylight, may require completely different countermeasures than the typical fatal electric scooter crash, where a younger rider crashes alone at night while intoxicated," says Marco Dozza.
Fatal crashes most common with private electric scooters
Almost nine out of ten alcohol-related e-scooter deaths occurred with privately owned vehicles. Public debate and regulations have largely focused on rented electric scooters, and operators have introduced measures such as speed limits and night restrictions. However, these measures do not affect privately owned electric scooters.
According to the researchers, rules and measures can to some extent counteract crashes with electric scooters. Marco Dozza , for example, is leading an ongoing study on how today's sensor technology in rented electric scooters can make it possible to detect impaired riding ability in real time.
"If a vehicle can identify that its rider is not in control, it is possible to take various measures before a crash occurs. That kind of intelligent intervention can save lives, and is within reach," he says.
At the same time, he emphasises that neither rules nor sensor technology alone can solve the problem.
"The big challenge with electric scooter riding is social norms and rider behaviour, and this does not disappear with regulations. Training is an important key to understanding how the vehicle should be handled and what you can, and cannot, do.
Rikard Fredriksson, Senior Advisor in Vehicle Safety at the Swedish Transport Administration and co-author of the study, agrees:
"Alcohol is still a major problem for road safety in Sweden. Alcohol is involved in about 20 per cent of all fatal road crashes. This study shows that the number of alcohol-related fatalities involving electric scooters is more than twice as high, at 44 per cent. We are committed to the development of technology to counteract electric scooter driving under the influence of alcohol. It is also important to always wear a helmet, and to use only a vehicle that cannot exceed legal speed," he says.
More about the research
The study , "Three modes, three profiles: Characterizing fatal crashes on e-scooters, e-bikes and conventional bicycles in Sweden" , has been published in the Journal of Safety Research . The authors are Rahul Rajendra Pai and Marco Dozza at Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, as well as Rikard Fredriksson at the Swedish Transport Administration and Chalmers University of Technology. The study was funded by the Swedish Transport Administration within the SIMT project (grant 2022/32014).
The results in brief
The study analysed 204 fatal crashes involving electric scooters, electric bicycles and conventional bicycles in Sweden between 2016 and 2024 using data from the Swedish Transport Administration's database of fatal crashes.
Fatal crashes with electric scooters. 44 per cent, or 8 out of 18 fatally injured riders, were under the influence of alcohol, with a median blood value of 1.8 per mille. No one wore a helmet, the crashes usually occurred on weekends, evenings and nights and were mainly single vehicle crashes. The median age of the fatally injured riders was 47.5 years.
Fatal crashes involving electric bicycles : 26.5 per cent, or 9 out of 34 fatally injured riders, were under the influence of alcohol, with a median blood value of 1.24 per mille. 26.5 per cent wore helmets; the crashes occurred mainly on weekdays and involved collisions with motor vehicles in half of the cases. The median age of the fatally injured riders was 71.5 years.
Fatal crashes involving bicycles : 12.5 per cent, or 19 out of 150 fatally injured cyclists, were under the influence of alcohol, with a median blood level of 2.0 per mille, 25 per cent wore helmets, the crashes occurred mainly on weekdays and usually involved collisions with motor vehicles. The median age of the fatally injured riders was 71 years.
More about electric scooters and safety
Sources:
Swedish Transport Agency (in Swedish): Sharp increase in the number of electric scooter accidents
Swedish Transport Administration (in Swedish): Safety on bicycles
European Road Safety Charter:
Blood Alcohol Content Drink Driving Limits across Europe
Road Safety: e-scooter national rules
Journal of Safety Research
Experimental study
Not applicable
"Three modes, three profiles: Characterizing fatal crashes on e-scooters, e-bikes and conventional bicycles in Sweden
4-Jun-2026
The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: [Given Marco Dozza’s role as the Guest Editor to the same special issue this paper is sent to, he had no involvement in the peer review of this article and had no access to information regarding its peer review. Full responsibility for the editorial process for this article was delegated to another journal editor. If there are other authors, they declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.].