Hospital Emergency rooms See Surge in Electric scooter Injuries, Including Fatalities, Prompting Minister’s Plea
Warsaw, Poland – Polish hospital emergency departments are facing scenes likened to ”Dante’s scenes” as a dramatic increase in electric scooter accidents, especially among children and teenagers, overwhelms medical staff. infrastructure Minister Dariusz Klimczak issued a stark warning today, urging parents to reconsider purchasing electric scooters for their children, advocating for traditional bicycles or simply walking as safer alternatives.
The surge in injuries, including three fatalities this year, has prompted serious concern from authorities. Data reveals a significant rise in accidents involving young riders: the number of incidents in the 7-14 age group has jumped from 66 two years ago to 359 this year.Notably, a year prior, no fatalities where recorded among this age group until mid-October. Children and teenagers now account for over 55% of all electric scooter-related injuries.
“Parents experience huge tragedies because their children suffer very serious injuries, including fatal ones,” Klimczak stated during a Radio Zet interview. He further reminded the public of the existing ban on electric scooter use for individuals under 13 years of age.
Accident causes mirror those of other vehicles, according to Robert Opas from the Road Traffic Office of the Police Headquarters, who told “Rzeczpospolita” that “speed comes first, then failure to yield the right-of-way, and then failure to yield the right-of-way to a pedestrian.”
The most affected regions are major cities within the Lesser Poland,Greater Poland,Łódź,and Pomeranian Voivodeships. The escalating situation is prompting a broader review of electric scooter safety regulations and enforcement.
source: Radio Zet, Wirtualna Polska, “Rzeczpospolita”
