Yikes: Denver Ties Record for Most E-Scooter Accidents in 2023

Electric scooters are a convenient and fun way to get around big cities. Companies like Lime and Lyft offer rentable scooters, easily available through an app. As this zippy mode of transportation increases in popularity across the country, cities like Fort Collins and Denver, are laying the groundwork to ensure safe, effective, and sustainable rides.

However, even with rules and regulations in place, e-scooter accidents are bound to happen. That being said, far more crashes occur than are reported.

According to the Denver Police Department, electric scooters were involved in 64 reported collisions on city streets in 2023. Last year’s reported crashes resulted in eleven serious bodily injuries and one death. Denver Health registered 1,449 “patient encounters” with scooter injuries in 2023, which averages out to nearly four per day. Unfortunately, this amount ties the record for the most e-scooter crashes reported the year prior too.

The annual Ride Report showed there were over 4,500 e-scooters on Denver streets on any given day in 2023. With so many riders on the roadways, the city is taking extra measures to enforce safety. This includes designated dismount zones and areas where the scooters automatically slow down

There’s been a total of 8 deaths from e-scooter collisions since the commercial rentals arrived on-scene in Denver in 2018. Westword reports that ninety-nine percent of these crashes involve motor vehicles.

For those who are interested, Fort Collins’ e-scooter stats can be found here.