Between 2017 and 2024, emergency departments nationwide treated an estimated 380,000 e-scooter–related injuries and 155,200 e-bike injuries.
That’s according to data published in the latest Traffic Research and Education Newsletter from the Traffic Safety Research Group at the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV. It documents the growing number of e-micromobility-related accidents in Nevada between 2021 and 2025.
So, what do these numbers tell us about the state's drivers and micromobility users?
For Dr. Deborah Kuhls, professor and Acute Care Surgery Chief at the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV, they are a stark reminder that these devices are new and that the traffic environment has not yet adapted to their presence.
"This is a relatively new mode of transportation, and people do not need a driver's license in order to use these," said Kuhls. "We have people on the road driving them who don't really know the rules of the road... In trauma centers, we see the breadwinners of families no longer being able to work; children with bright futures having their futures really in question.:
As for how officials can use the information to make the roads safer for everyone? Kuhls says policymakers need to enact laws such as restrictions on where and when people can ride, as well as helmet and minimum age requirements.
However, those steps may only go so far due to one simple fact: Most roads are designed primarily for cars.
"I just want to say to parents: Stop buying these for your children," said Erin Breen, director of UNLV's Road Equity Alliance Project, adding that much of the problem comes down to the way our roads are designed. "We have streets designed for cars. Every vulnerable road user — pedestrians, bicyclists, e-mobility device users, and motorcyclists — it's a dangerous place for them to be operating, no matter how they travel, because we don't have the infrastructure."
Guests: Dr. Deborah Kuhls, professor and acute care surgery chief, Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV; Erin Breen, director, UNLV Road Equity Alliance Project
