Doctors warn of rising child injuries from electric scooters in Sweden

Doctors are sounding the alarm over a sharp rise in injuries sustained by children and young people in electric scooter accidents. The incidents have resulted in severe harm, including fractured skulls, broken ribs, and dislocated jaws.

Statistics from the Swedish Transport Agency reveal a concerning trend: in 2025, 6,624 people were injured in e-scooter accidents, a 38% increase from the previous year. Tragically, seven individuals lost their lives. At Lund University Hospital, medical staff are witnessing this surge firsthand, with an increasing number of patients arriving with serious injuries from e-scooter crashes.

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We are seeing complex, severe facial injuries. A jaw surgeon compared the energy involved to a horse kick to the face. And behind the face is the brain, so these can lead to severe and permanent brain damage. One might not be oneself again.

"We are seeing complex, severe facial injuries. A jaw surgeon compared the energy involved to a horse kick to the face," said Catrine Wenger, an intensive care nurse. "And behind the face is the brain, so these can lead to severe and permanent brain damage. One might not be oneself again."

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These are children who lack traffic experience and do not have a developed sense of consequences.

Children, particularly those of primary school age up to 14 years old, represent the largest increase in injury cases. Wenger noted that many of these children are riding e-scooters purchased by their parents, emphasizing a need for greater parental oversight. "These are children who lack traffic experience and do not have a developed sense of consequences," she stated.

Philipp Martin, deputy chief physician and head of acute and trauma surgery, described a case where a child crashed into a parked car. Police discovered the scooter could reach speeds of 80 kilometers per hour, far exceeding the 45 km/h limit for EU mopeds, which also have age and licensing requirements. "Children just get on an e-scooter and ride off. They don't understand if they are riding on a sidewalk, a bike path, or a street. Yet, parents buy e-scooters for them. I think the knowledge is too low," Martin said. The injuries treated range from broken wrists to skull fractures and internal organ damage from impacts with the handlebars.

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Children just get on an e-scooter and ride off. They don't understand if they are riding on a sidewalk, a bike path, or a street. Yet, parents buy e-scooters for them. I think the knowledge is too low.