"Electric Scooter Accidents Increase 8-Fold Compared to 3 Years Ago... 88% Not Wearing Helmets"

Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance Analyzes Electric Kickboard Collision Claims
1,447 Cases Last Year... Already 777 This Year

[Asia Economy Reporter Oh Hyung-gil] Last year, car accidents involving electric kickboards surged more than eightfold compared to three years ago, according to a recent investigation.

On the 2nd, Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance analyzed the number of accidents reported to the company and found that last year, there were 1,447 cases of car versus electric kickboard accidents. From January to May this year, 777 cases have already been reported. The number of car versus kickboard accidents increased from 49 cases in 2016 to 181 cases in 2017, then reached 258 and 890 cases in 2018 and 2019, respectively.

The amount of damages also rose significantly, from about 800 million KRW in 2017 to 3.7 billion KRW last year.

By gender, men accounted for more than 70% of the accidents, and those in their teens to thirties made up over 70% of the accident share. Regionally, more than 70% of the accidents occurred in the metropolitan area.

Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance explained that mainly young men use shared electric kickboards frequently in urban areas, which exposes them more to accident risks.

Additionally, after analyzing 127 accident videos, Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance found that accidents between electric kickboards and vehicles often occurred due to electric kickboard users violating traffic laws, such as riding against traffic, running red lights, and riding while crossing streets.

Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance analyzed the number of reported traffic accidents and found that last year, there were 1,447 cases of vehicle-to-electric scooter accidents. This year, from January to May, 777 cases have been reported.

In particular, the most common types of accidents were those occurring while riding on sidewalks and crossing side road entrances or parking lot exits (26%), and collisions at side road intersections without traffic lights where vehicles did not slow down (26%).

Also, among the 127 cases, 111 cases (87.4%) involved electric kickboard users not wearing helmets. According to the Road Traffic Act, wearing a helmet is mandatory for electric kickboard users.

Due to their structure, electric kickboards have smaller wheels compared to bicycles and a higher center of gravity for the rider, so in cases of sudden braking or traffic accidents, riders are more likely to fall and face a relatively higher risk of head and facial injuries, making helmet use essential.

Jeon Je-ho, Senior Researcher at the Samsung Transportation Safety Culture Research Institute, stated, "With the recent activation of electric kickboard sharing services, the number of users as auxiliary transportation means is expected to increase further," adding, "It is crucial to establish a proper electric kickboard usage culture early in the introduction of this new transportation mode." He emphasized, "It is important to strengthen compliance with traffic laws and safety management supervision for electric kickboard users."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.