It's illegal, yet many people still do it. A new report now suggests that two people sharing a single electric scooter may be even more dangerous than riding under the influence.
About one in five e-scooter riders under the age of 40 say they have carried more than one person on the same scooter.(Photo: Shutterstock / NTB)
It's cheaper, and while one person keeps an eye on traffic, the other can scroll on their phone.
But it can also be quite dangerous.
Researchers at the Institute of Transport Economics (TØI) surveyed scooter users about how often they ride, what they like about electric scooters, and whether they have been injured while using them.
Lars Even Egner is a researcher at the Institute of Transport Economics.(Photo: Nils Kare Nesvold / TØI)
“I was a little surprised by how dangerous it appears to be when two people ride the same scooter,” TØI researcher Lars Even Egner tells Science Norway. He is behind the new report.
Annonse
People who admitted to riding two on one scooter experienced six times as many accidents compared to other riders. These were accidents that required medical attention.
“For comparison, riding under the influence only resulted in twice as many accidents,” Egner says.
Life is more dangerous on an e-scooter
Electric scooters are already considered more dangerous than other types of cycling, according to an earlier study from Oslo.
“But we haven't really known whether carrying two people on one scooter is more serious
or problematic,” Nils Fearnly tells Science Norway. He is also a researcher at TØI and took part in the study.
Despite it being illegal, 20 per cent of riders under 40 admit to doing it.
"It's probably not because people are unaware of the traffic rules. It's more likely a sign that many simply don't take the rules very seriously," says Fearnly.
Around 6,500 people from all over Norway responded to the survey. They were recruited through companies that rent out electric scooters, and the vast majority live in Oslo, Trondheim, Bergen, and Stavanger.
Because the study is based on self-reporting, researchers acknowledge that there may be some inaccuracies. People may not remember things correctly.
It's also difficult to say anything about cause and effect.
Participants were asked whether they had ridden tandem, used their phone while riding, or ridden under the influence of alcohol.
They were also asked how many accidents they had had over the past year.
This allowed the researchers to examine the link between risky riding behaviours and accident rates. And the association was quite strong:
Annonse
Participants who reported riding under the influence, carrying a passenger, or using their phone while riding also reported more than double, six times, and nearly four times the number of accidents requiring medical attention.
Those who ride two on one scooter
Among those who rented e-scooters, a significant proportion admit to carrying more than one person on the same scooter at least once during the past month.
Total: Between 11 and 15 per cent of users said they have done this.
Men: 15 per cent
Women: 11 per cent
Age: There is a large difference between age groups. Nearly 20 per cent of users under 40 said they had ridden two or more people on a single scooter, while the number dropped to just 2.5 per cent among people over 40.
Risky riding or tandem riding?
However, the accidents are not necessarily caused by there being two people on the electric scooter.
It may be that people who ride tandem or under the influence of alcohol are generally more willing to take risks. They may also ride more recklessly even when they are alone, making them more likely to be involved in accidents overall.
"It's difficult to know whether tandem riders have more accidents because of tandem riding itself, or because they are more willing to take risks. In any case, it seems highly likely that riding two people on one scooter is genuinely very dangerous," says Egner.
Most likely: Two on one scooter is dangerous
The researchers also found another unexpected pattern: people who wear helmets reported more accidents.
Does that mean that wearing a helmet increases the risk of accidents? Do riders become bolder and take more risks because they feel protected by the helmet?
Nils Fearnley is a researcher at the Institute of Transport Economics.(Photo: Nils Kare Nesvold / TØI)
"No, we think this is a case of reverse causality," explains Fearnly. "The most likely explanation is that people who have previously been involved in a serious accident started wearing a helmet as a result of that accident."
Even so, both researchers believe the link between tandem riding and accidents is too strong to ignore.
"The data cannot conclusively prove that riding two people on one scooter causes accidents. But the connection is so strong that it appears very likely," says Fearnly.
People are getting better at wearing helmets
Helmet use among electric scooter riders has improved in recent years.
Helmets are now mandatory for riders under the age of 15 and strongly recommended for everyone else because of the high risk of head injuries.
In 2022, only five per cent of people renting electric scooters said they wore helmets. That number has now doubled to ten per cent.
"Even so, the number of people who wear helmets is still quite low," says Egner.
Among people who ride their own scooters instead of rented ones, the numbers are higher. About 30 per cent say they regularly wear a helmet.
It's mostly young people who ride two people on one scooter. Is that because they generally take more risks than others?(Photo: Annika Byrde / NTB)
Different types of scooters
The researchers found an interesting distinction between rented and privately owned e-scooters.
"They are used quite differently," says Egner.
While rented e-scooters often replace walking, cycling, or public transportation, privately owned scooters more often replace car use.
This may be explained by the fact that private scooters are more often part of a planned journey.
"Rental scooters are used more impulsively and are harder to plan around," says Egner.
Even so, people who use e-scooters report that they arrive on time to appointments and meetings more often, and that they get out and socialise more frequently.
