What characterizes bicycle and e-scooter accidents not included in official accident statistics? Lessons learned from the ReCyCLIST project in Agder, Norway

Bjørnskau, Torkel; Hesjevoll, Ingeborg Storesund; Ingebrigtsen, Rikke; Karlsen, Katrine; Pokorny, Petr; Sundfør, Hanne Beate; Weyde, Kjell Vegard; Mjåland, Odd · 2025 · DOAJ

DOI: 10.55329/prfq7240

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Summary

This study investigates the characteristics of bicycle, e-bike, and e-scooter accidents that are excluded from official Norwegian accident statistics, addressing the significant underreporting of incidents involving vulnerable road users. Traditional police-reported data primarily capture collisions with motor vehicles, neglecting the majority of micromobility accidents, which are single-vehicle incidents. The research aims to characterize these underreported accidents to inform urban planning and safety policies, specifically examining patterns by vehicle type, age, and gender. The study utilized data from the ReCyCLIST project in Agder County, Norway, employing a digital self-reporting tool deployed in hospitals and emergency clinics between June 2022 and April 2024. Patients were encouraged to register accidents via QR codes or project-provided iPads. The final analysis focused on 487 accidents occurring in traffic environments, excluding 57 play/sport accidents and 177 incidents outside traffic areas. This dataset provided a comprehensive view of accident mechanisms, including infrastructure issues, technical failures, and loss of balance, allowing for a direct comparison with official police records. The results reveal that 73% of traffic accidents were single-vehicle incidents, predominantly caused by infrastructure defects or loss of balance rather than collisions. A comparison with official statistics showed that ReCyCLIST recorded nearly ten times more bicycle accidents and 25 times more e-scooter accidents than police data, highlighting that single accidents are almost entirely absent from official records. Demographic analysis indicated distinct patterns: women were more frequently involved in e-scooter accidents, while men were overrepresented in racing bike collisions. Multivariate analysis identified vehicle type, particularly racing bikes, as a strong predictor of collisions. Specific causes for single accidents included kerbs (32.8% of bicycle infrastructure accidents), gravel, and potholes. Loss of balance was a major factor, often resulting from slipping on asphalt or snow/ice, with e-scooter riders reporting higher rates of distraction-related balance loss. The findings underscore the critical gap in current safety data, demonstrating that official statistics fail to capture the primary risks facing micromobility users. By revealing that infrastructure issues and single-vehicle crashes dominate accident patterns, the study provides actionable insights for policymakers. It suggests that safety efforts must shift focus from collision avoidance with motor vehicles to improving road infrastructure maintenance and addressing balance-related risks. This evidence supports the need for revised data collection methods and targeted urban planning interventions to enhance safety for cyclists and e-scooter riders.

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Topics

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• micromobility e scooter
• vru crash typology
• incidence prevalence