E-scooter injuries drop in Helsinki in Jan-Aug

The emergency departments of the Helsinki-Uusimaa Hospital District (HUS) in Helsinki treated 31% fewer e-scooter related injuries between January and August 2026 than the stipulated period of the previous year, said HUS in a press release on Wednesday.

In January–August 2026, the emergency departments in Malmi and Meilahti treated a total of 172 patients with e-scooter related injuries. During the same period the year before, the number was 248.

The numbers included patients over the age of 16 who were driving privately owned or rental e-scooters, as well as injured victims otherwise involved in e-scooter accidents.

The numbers cover injuries that required urgent treatment. The numbers do not include patients with minor injuries treated at health center emergency services.

The reduction in e-scooter accidents can be partly explained by the diminished use of rental e-scooters.

According to data from the City of Helsinki, rental e-scooters were used for 3.3 million trips in January–August 2026, compared with 3.8 million in 2025.

“The number of trips in Helsinki decreased by about 13 percent, but the number of patients injured in e-scooter accidents and treated at Malmi and Meilahti emergency departments dropped by about 31 percent. This means that the number of injuries decreased proportionally more than the use of e-scooters,” said Laura Seitakari, licentiate in medicine at HUS Emergency Medicine and Services.

Since the collection of statistics began in 2021, the largest drop in accidents was seen between the years 2021 and 2022. The decline can be explained by speed and usage limits that came into effect in Helsinki in September 2021.

“After the restrictions, both the number of injuries as well as the risk of injuries in comparison to the number of trips declined significantly. We estimate that the speed and usage limits have clearly made e-scooter use safer,” said Seitakari.