Oregon Health Authority Highlights Rising E-bike and E-scooter Injuries

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Published March 3rd, 2026

Detected March 17th, 2026

Summary

The Oregon Health Authority (OHA) has issued a notice highlighting a significant increase in injuries related to e-bikes and e-scooters across the state. Data shows a more than doubling of e-scooter injuries between 2021 and 2025, prompting OHA to urge riders to adopt safety precautions.

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What changed

The Oregon Health Authority (OHA) has released a notice detailing a sharp rise in injuries associated with e-bikes and e-scooters, referred to as "micromobility" devices. Analysis of hospital and emergency department data indicates that e-scooter-related injuries more than doubled between 2021 and September 2025, with specific injury counts provided for each year. The OHA emphasizes that these injuries are serious, often involving head trauma and broken bones, and shares common risk factors with e-bike injuries such as speed and lack of helmet use.

This notice serves as a public health warning and a call for increased safety awareness among riders, drivers, and communities. While no specific compliance deadlines or penalties are mentioned, the OHA is monitoring these trends and working with partners to promote safer riding practices. Regulated entities, particularly manufacturers and healthcare providers, should be aware of these rising injury trends and the OHA's focus on micromobility safety. Consumers are urged to take precautions such as wearing helmets and paying attention to surroundings.

What to do next

Review internal data for trends in e-bike/e-scooter related injuries if applicable.
Disseminate safety information to relevant stakeholders and consumers.
Monitor further guidance or recommendations from the Oregon Health Authority regarding micromobility safety.

Source document (simplified)

OHA highlights rising injuries, safety risks tied to e-bike/e-scooter use

Site Navigation Media kit: Soundbites from Dagan Wright, Ph.D., senior injury epidemiologist and informaticist, OHA Injury and Violence Prevention Program

March 3, 2026

What you should know:

E-scooters, e-bicycles and other micromobility options are expanding across Oregon.
Injuries involving e-bikes and e-scooters share common risk factors.
E-scooter injuries are relatively new in health care reporting.
OHA monitors injury trends and works with partners to promote safe riding. PORTLAND, Ore.—Oregon Health Authority (OHA) is urging riders to take safety precautions when using e-scooters and e-bicycles, as new data show a sharp increase in serious injuries associated with these “micromobility” or motorized devices.

An analysis by OHA’s Injury and Violence Prevention Program (IVPP), using Oregon hospital and emergency department discharge data, shows that e-scooter-related injuries more than doubled between 2021 and 2025, as use of these devices expanded statewide.

Between 2021 and Sept. 30, 2025, Oregon hospitals and emergency departments reported the following e-scooter injury visits, using recently developed, e-scooter-specific codes.

2021: 211 injuries
2022: 269 injuries
2023: 326 injuries
2024: 418 injuries
2025 (Jan-Sept 2025): 509 injuries “These injuries are not minor scrapes,” said Dagan Wright, Ph.D., senior injury epidemiologist and informaticist with OHA’s Public Health Division. “They often involve head injuries, broken bones and other serious trauma that requires emergency or inpatient care.”

Someone who knows the risk all too well is Portland e-scooter commuter Daniel Pflieger. He was riding a scooter home from work and slid on ice. The accident resulted in several bruised ribs. Luckily, Pflieger was wearing his helmet.

“I was biking home. It was late at night. It was just after one of the ice storms," said Pflieger. “But most of the ice had melted and I was going uphill. And it was not a well-lit street. I would say one, wear a helmet. Two, pay attention to your surroundings. A lot of drivers are not paying attention. I wear a second light.”

He added, “Really pay attention and ride at a comfortable speed. These things typically top out at 17 miles an hour, and it doesn't sound very fast, but when you're exposed to it, it can feel pretty fast.”

Watch e-scooter commuter Daniel Pflieger offer more of his micromobility safety tips . E-scooter injury diagnosis codes are relatively new in health care reporting, making trend data from 2021 onward the most reliable period for understanding how injuries are changing over time, Wright explained. While the overall numbers remain smaller than for other transportation-related injuries, the rapid increase over a short period of time is a clear safety signal.

E-bikes part of broader micromobility safety concerns

While the e-scooter injury trend analysis focuses specifically on these devices, OHA notes that e-bicycles raise many of the same safety concerns. Both devices can reach higher speeds than traditional bicycles, are often used in mixed traffic environments and are increasingly used by riders of all ages and experience levels.

“Injuries involving e-bikes and e-scooters share common risk factors—speed, lack of helmet use, roadway design and interactions with motor vehicles,” Wright said. “As micromobility options grow, so does the need for transportation infrastructure, riders, drivers and communities to focus on safety.”

Fatalities underscore risks

In addition to injury data, OHA reviewed death records from 2018 through 2025 (2025 data are preliminary) to identify fatalities related to e-scooter or motorized scooter use. Because there is no specific death code for e-scooters, the review relied on limited text fields within death records for motorized or electric scooters and transportation-related codes. Any indication of a wheelchair, sitting scooter or otherwise were removed from being counted.

17 deaths linked to e-scooter, motorized scooter use:

Twelve involved collisions with motor vehicles.
Five did not involve traffic or other vehicles.
59% of those who died were older than 50.
Seven of the 17 deaths, or 41% of all deaths from 2018 to 2025 (2025 data are preliminary and subject to change), were in 2025. “These findings highlight the risks associated with micromobility devices, particularly when riders are older or sharing space with vehicle traffic,” Wright said.

Safety tips for e-scooter, e-bike riders

OHA encourages people using e-scooters and e-bicycles to reduce their risk of injury by:

Wearing a properly fitted helmet.
Following traffic laws and posted speed limits.
Riding where permitted and avoiding sidewalks when prohibited.
Staying alert and avoiding distractions.
Using lights and reflective gear, especially at night.
Taking extra caution around motor vehicle traffic. As e-scooters, e-bicycles and other micromobility options continue to expand in Oregon, OHA will continue monitoring injury trends and working with partners to promote safer riding conditions for all road and sidewalk users.

Learn more about injury data in Oregon here.

About OHA

Oregon Health Authority works to improve the health and well-being of all Oregonians by ensuring access to effective, equitable and affordable health care and by supporting safe and healthy environments statewide.