Citation

Fournier M, Bailly N, Schäuble A, Petit Y. Heliyon 2023; 9(9): e19254.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2023, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e19254

PMID

37662814

PMCID

PMC10474420

Abstract

E-scooters as a mode of transportation is rapidly growing in popularity. This study evaluates head impact conditions and injury risk associated with E-scooter crashes. A multibody model of E-scooter falls induced by wheel-curb collision was built and compared with an experimental E-scooter crash test. A total of 162 crash scenarios were simulated to assess the effect of fall conditions (E-scooter initial speed and inclination, obstacle orientation, and user size) on the head impact kinematics. The forehead hit the ground first in 44% of simulations. The average tangential and normal impact speeds were 3.5 m/s and 4.8 m/s respectively. Nearly 100% of simulations identified a risk of concussion (linear acceleration peak >82 g and rotational acceleration peak >6383 rad/s(2)) and 90% of simulations suggested a risk of severe head injuries (HIC>700). This work provides preliminary data useful for the assessment and design of protective gears.

Language: en

Keywords

E-scooter; Fall; Head injury; Impact condition; Multibody simulation