E-scooter crash in Favoriten: pedestrian seriously injured!

E-scooter crash in Favoriten: pedestrian seriously injured!

On May 15, 2025, around 10:15 a.m., a serious accident occurred in Vienna-Favoriten, Columbusgasse, when a 31-year-old e-scooter driver, who was traveling on the cycle path against the one-way route, collided with a 27-year-old pedestrian. The pedestrian was trying to cross the road when the collision occurred. She suffered significant facial injuries in the incident, including a fracture to her facial area. The Vienna professional rescue service immediately provided emergency medical help and took the injured person to a hospital, while the e-scooter driver was reported, reports vienna.at.

This incident should not be viewed in isolation, but rather fits into a worrying overall development in the transport sector. In 2023, the number of e-scooter accidents resulting in personal injury in Germany increased by 14.1% to a total of 9,425 cases, compared to 8,260 accidents in 2022. This led to a doubling of deaths from 11 to 22, as destatis.de reported.

Causes of accidents and risk groups

The most common causes of accidents in e-scooter incidents are incorrect road use at 19.4% and the influence of alcohol, which played a role in 15.1% of cases. What is frightening is that 83.0% of those involved in the accident were riding an e-scooter themselves, with 21 of the 22 fatalities also being e-scooter riders. Among the injured, 1,220 people were seriously injured and 8,911 were slightly injured.

What is particularly striking is that 41.6% of the e-scooter riders involved in accidents were younger than 25 years old. In addition, 60% of accidents took place in large cities. These figures illustrate the dangers that exist, particularly for young drivers in urban areas.

Insight into the regulations for e-scooters

E-scooters have been registered on German roads since June 15, 2019 and require insurance. Drivers must use cycle paths or protective lanes where available, as riding on sidewalks is prohibited. The minimum age for e-scooter riders is 14 years and a 0.5 alcohol limit applies; People under 21 and new drivers are not allowed to consume alcohol.

The accident in Vienna-Vienna-Favoriten clearly shows that the dangers of using e-scooters should not be underestimated. The relevance of regulations, education and road safety remains a much-needed issue to prevent future tragedies.