The Impact of Standing Electric Scooters on Maxillofacial Fractures: An Italian Multi-Centric Epidemiological Study

Objectives: This study aimed to determine the impact of standing electric scooters on maxillofacial on the Italian territory. Methods: The authors analyzed the epidemiology of the injuries to define electric mobility's impact on maxillofacial surgery practice. For this retrospective cohort study, data were collected by unifying the standing e-scooter-related fractures database from 10 Italian maxillofacial surgery departments. The reference period considered was from January 2020 to December 2023. The main data considered included age, gender, type of access, time slot of admission, type of admission, alcohol level, helmet use, dynamics of the accident, and area of the fracture. Results: A total of 79 patients were enrolled. The average age of the participants was approximately 31 years. The blood alcohol level was found to be above the Italian norm in 15 cases (19%). Only one patient wore a helmet. The most affected facial third was the middle one with 36 cases (45.5%), followed by the lower one (31, 39.3%). The most recurrent patterns were fractures of the orbito-malar-zygomatic complex (15, 19%), followed by multifocal (bifocal, trifocal) fractures of the mandible (14, 17.5%). Conclusions: This study demonstrated how maxillofacial fractures related to the use of electric scooters are associated with complex patterns, associated with a high rate of post-surgical aftermaths.

Characteristics and Risk Factors for Electric Scooter-Related Crashes and Injury Crashes among Scooter Riders: A Two-Phase Survey Study

Electric scooters (or e-scooters) are among the most popular micromobility options that have experienced an enormous expansion in urban transportation systems across the world in recent years. Along with the increased usage of e-scooters, the increasing number of e-scooter-related injuries has also become an emerging global public health concern. However, little is known regarding the risk factors for e-scooter-related crashes and injury crashes. This study consisted of a two-phase survey questionnaire administered to a cohort of e-scooter riders (n = 210), which obtained exposure information on riders' demographics, riding behaviors (including infrastructure selection), helmet use, and other crash-related factors. The risk ratios of riders' self-reported involvement in an e-scooter-related crash (i.e., any crash versus no crash) and injury crash (i.e., injury crash versus non-injury crash) were estimated across exposure subcategories using the Negative Binomial regression approach. Males and frequent users of e-scooters were associated with an increased risk of e-scooter-related crashes of any type. For the e-scooter-related injury crashes, more frequently riding on bike lanes (i.e., greater than 25% of the time), either protected or unprotected, was identified as a protective factor. E-scooter-related injury crashes were more likely to occur among females, who reported riding on sidewalks and non-paved surfaces more frequently. The study may help inform public policy regarding e-scooter legislation and prioritize efforts to establish suitable road infrastructure for improved e-scooter riding safety.

The Analysis of the Factors Influencing the Severity of Bicyclist Injury in Bicyclist-Vehicle Crashes

Transportation and technological development have for centuries strongly influenced the shaping of urbanized areas. On one hand, it undoubtedly brings many benefits to their residents. However, also has a negative impact on urban areas and their surroundings. Many transportation and technological solutions lead, for example, to increased levels of pollution, noise, excessive energy use, as well as to traffic accidents in cities. So, it is important to safe urban development and sustainability in all city aspects as well as in the area of road transport safety. Due to the long-term policy of sustainable transport development, cycling is promoted, which contributes to the increase in the number of this group of users of the transport network in road traffic for short-distance transport. On the one hand, cycling has a positive effect on bicyclists’ health and environmental conditions, however, a big problem is an increase in the number of serious injuries and fatalities among bicyclists involved in road incidents with motor vehicles. This study aims to identify factors that influence the occurrence and severity of bicyclist injury in bicyclist-vehicle crashes. It has been observed that the factors increasing the risk of serious injuries and deaths of bicyclists are: vehicle driver gender and age, driving under the influence of alcohol, exceeding the speed limit by the vehicle driver, bicyclist age, cycling under the influence of alcohol, speed of the bicyclist before the incident, vehicle type (truck), incident place (road), time of the day, incident type. The obtained results can be used for activities aimed at improving the bicyclists’ safety level in road traffic in the area of analysis.