E-scooter crashes with injuries nearly triple in Burgenland

The number of E-scooter crashes involving injuries in the Austrian state of Burgenland nearly tripled from 16 in 2023 to 47 in 2025, ORF reported. The ÖAMTC mobility club is warning of a rise in injured riders and calling for a universal helmet requirement regardless of age.

Across Austria, 2,749 E-scooter crashes involving injuries were recorded in 2025, according to Statistics Austria. Six people died, 473 suffered serious injuries and 2,124 sustained minor injuries.

Since dedicated data collection began in 2023, the number of crashes involving injuries has increased by 56 percent, the ÖAMTC said in a statement on Thursday.

The mobility club and partner organisations examined accident risks and typical injury patterns. They found that crashes usually result from several factors, including the vehicles’ particular riding dynamics, risky behaviour, a lack of protective equipment, insufficient knowledge of traffic rules and the growing use of E-scooters.

Crashes occur especially often in the evening and at night, as well as during the summer months. Alcohol is also a significant risk factor, according to the ÖAMTC. Intoxicated E-scooter riders are more likely to fall and suffer more serious injuries.

While sober riders who are injured mainly suffer injuries to their arms and hands, intoxicated riders are more likely to sustain injuries to the head, face and chest. Among people aged 55 to 64, almost one in three injured riders was intoxicated on average between 2023 and 2025.

“Many people underestimate the effects of alcohol on their ability to ride,” said ÖAMTC traffic engineer Christoph Schönlechner. Because E-scooters have a less stable riding position, impairment affects riders more severely than it does users of other vehicles, he said.

The design of E-scooters also increases the risk of falls, according to the ÖAMTC. The standing position, high centre of gravity and small wheels make them particularly vulnerable to instability. Kerbs, uneven road surfaces, sudden steering movements or minor riding errors can quickly lead to serious falls, Schönlechner said.

Head and facial injuries, along with injuries to the arms and hands, are among the most common injuries. At the same time, only about one in 10 E-scooter riders wears a helmet, according to the ÖAMTC. A helmet cannot prevent a crash but can significantly reduce the severity of injuries, Schönlechner said.

The ÖAMTC therefore renewed its call for a universal helmet requirement that applies regardless of age. Between 2023 and 2025, only 17 percent of injured riders were aged between 13 and 16. The current requirement applies only to people up to the age of 16.

Vienna recorded the most E-scooter crashes involving injuries in 2025, with 622, followed by Lower Austria with 516 and Upper Austria with 425. Styria recorded 354, Tyrol 240, Salzburg 221, Carinthia 190 and Vorarlberg 134. Burgenland recorded 47.

Across Austria, the annual total rose from 1,762 crashes in 2023 to 2,247 in 2024 and 2,749 in 2025.

The ÖAMTC also criticised differing E-scooter rules across Europe. Use on public roads is prohibited in the Netherlands, for example, while Italy has a universal helmet requirement, among other rules. The mobility club is calling for rules to be made as uniform as possible across the European Union.