Our experts are experienced and knowledgeable in relation to e-scooter inspections, their handling characteristics, collision scenarios, and injuries caused by them, plus a growing understanding of the characteristics of a wide range of other personal micro mobility devices.
TRL are the authors of original research into e-scooters which has generated a detailed dataset which can be referred to in cases where devices are not available for inspection.
The dynamics of e-scooter collisions differ from incidents involving more established transportation modes – in terms of the mechanisms of impact and injury, and also the capabilities of the e-scooters themselves. These considerations are critical to the quality of any accident reconstruction. However due to the lack of regulation, the information currently available is scarce and is of inconsistent quality, both for pay-per-use and privately owned vehicles.
Our experts have carried out research to investigate the real-world capabilities of a range of devices currently in use, which can vary significantly between different makes and models. Our research has included physical testing into the acceleration, deceleration, speed and handling characteristics of a wide range of e-scooter devices, in order that reference data be made available for use in investigations of collisions involving them; our full report and dataset is available here.
As a result of the research and testing we have undertaken, our experts have a high level of experience and knowledge in relation to e-scooter inspections, handling characteristics and collision scenarios, making us uniquely placed in such a new and evolving field. We are well-placed to carry out inspections of these devices after involvement in a collision and our work also provides a detailed dataset which can be referred to in cases where devices are not available for inspection. This testing data can be combined with traditional reconstruction methods such as scene inspections, CCTV analysis, and damage assessments as part of a wider reconstruction of a collision.
TRL as a whole has a strong understanding of the personal mobility device market and we know that the market is evolving rapidly and becoming more complex, not less.
We have been supporting EU and UK government clients with the development of micromobility policy and regulation since 2018, in particular helping them to understand and navigate the growing yet still limited evidence base around micromobility safety and user behaviour. We have also developed a standardised personal mobility device testing service, to enable independent and repeatable testing of the safety performance of devices like e-scooters.
