“A few years ago, spring-time statistics on accidents were dominated by falls from ladders, injuries related to cutting branches, ankles sprained on forest tracks, while in the winter it was common to see falls and fractures, but now, accidents involving electric scooters top the list and we see this happening almost all year round. The number of accidents has doubled this year and we haven’t even crossed the finish line yet,” says Dagmar Gilden, Asset Insurance Product Manager at Seesam.

Accidents are more likely to happen to adults who use convenient means of transport to travel shorter distances faster. According to the insurer, accidents are caused by high speed and lack of attention. Unfortunately, people are more inclined to put the pedal to the metal in the summer and on weekends. Alcohol use also causes distraction.

“In the event of an accident, the driver usually lands on their hand or arm or the chest area, making injuries to elbows, wrists and ribs fairly common, both in terms of fractures and severe hits. We also see a lot of head and tooth injuries – daredevil drivers may find the latter rather costly to fix. Our statistics also include a couple of extreme cases where the handle of a scooter injured the driver’s eye. Reading these examples, we can say that the lucky ones are the drivers who escape with some bruising and a good scare,” says Gilden, citing examples of common injuries.

This year, Seesam’s average indemnity for injuries sustained in an electric scooter accident is €300. In the case of a permanent disability, this amount can be even higher. According to the insurer, there are fortunately no examples in their statistics of any accidents with consequences quite as severe. 

“It is often the case, that the people driving the scooter are not the only ones getting hurt. Injuries to other people or vehicles are also on the rise. If the scooter driver is to blame, they will have to compensate the victim for the costs, be they car repairs or hospital treatment. If the guilty party has, for example, chosen private person liability insurance as part of their home insurance, the victim may be indemnified by the insurance company,” explains Gilden.