Investigating the association between neighbourhood characteristics and e-scooter safety

Abstract

• Examined the impact of neighbourhood characteristics on e-scooter safety in London. • Considered various exposure measures, built/natural environment variables and sociodemographics. • Identified high e-scooter crash wards and boroughs. • Offered insights on policies of improving e-scooter safety. The uptake of e-scooters as an alternative mode of travel has risen sharply in recent years; however, their safety is less-understood compared to other modes of travel. For the first time in the extant literature, we explore the association between neighbourhood characteristics and e-scooter safety in Greater London, UK. We found that, over the study period, the expected e-scooter crash frequency was the highest in the City of London, followed by the West End, and then St. James's―both wards located in the borough of Westminster in central London. We found that e-scooter crash frequencies increase with an increase in area-level walking and cycling activities. Similarly, we found that the number of schools is positively associated with the expected e-scooter crash frequency. In contrast, the results indicated that as the proportion of ward-level greenspace increases, the number of crashes involving e-scooters decreases. The results also highlighted social inequalities in this context, with higher e-scooter crash frequencies in areas with larger Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic population, those with higher crime rates, and those with a higher population of children in out of work households. This research provides practical recommendations to prioritise areas for safety interventions and for selecting suitable safety improvement programmes.