WEDNESDAY, April 15, 2026 (HealthDay News) -- From 2018 to 2023, micromobility-related injuries accounted for 6.9 percent of all trauma admissions, according to a study published online April 15 in Neurosurgery.
Hannah Weiss, M.D., from NYU Langone Health in New York City, and colleagues performed a retrospective review to examine micromobility-related injuries over time at a level 1 trauma center during a five-year period (2018 to 2023). The cohort included riders of electric or mechanical bikes and scooters and pedestrians who were injured by these devices.
Nine hundred fourteen patients presented with micromobility-related injuries, accounting for 6.9 percent of all trauma admissions. The researchers found that over time, there was an increase in annual case volume and electric device involvement. Collision with a motor vehicle was the most common mechanism (49.9 percent). Overall, 68.7 percent of patients required admission and 30.2 percent required intensive care. The median length of stay was three days. Half of the patients underwent surgical intervention or procedure; there was overall mortality of 1.2 percent. Only 31.7 percent used helmets. The most severe outcomes were experienced by pedestrians, especially when struck by electric devices. There was a clustering of injuries during evening hours.
"The data point to actionable solutions -- helmet use, safer bike lane design, and enforcement -- that could prevent many of these injuries and better protect both riders and pedestrians, who in our study often sustained even more severe brain injuries than riders themselves," Weiss said in a statement.