Summarised by Centrist
E-scooters are “unstable” and can expose riders to a high risk of serious head injuries, according to AUT mechanical engineering lecturer Dr Milan Paudel.
Their small wheels, short wheelbase and high centre of gravity mean potholes or loose pebbles can leave riders “easily thrown off”, he said.
Around 60% of crashes involve no other person or vehicle, while pedestrians account for about 10% of e-scooter-related injuries.
Unlike bicycles, scooters offer little to slow a rider’s forward movement after a sudden stop.
“You do not have anything in between to dampen that motion, to cushion that motion,” Paudel said.
“So, simply, you will slam on the road.”
Paudel’s research found a 30% to 50% probability of severe head injury in crashes between 10km/h and 15km/h. Above 15km/h, the risk rose to 91%.
ACC recorded 2761 new scooter-related injury claims during the first half of 2026, with active claims costing more than $9.2 million.
Helmet use remains low. An Auckland Transport study found helmets were worn by just 11% of shared-scooter users and 44% of private riders.
Paudel said wearing a helmet was the simplest way to reduce the danger and called for their use to be “mandatory rather than recommended”.
He also warned that “many” scooters appeared to reach 40km/h to 45km/h despite New Zealand’s 300W power limit.
Alcohol further reduced balance and reaction times while encouraging riders to “go faster, make abrupt steering motions, and weave in and out of crowds”, he said.
