Mandatory helmet use is a step in the right direction. But it won't prevent accidents.

• The announced changes to the regulations were expected by, among others, the medical community, which noticed that serious accidents involving e-scooter users were becoming more frequent, as well as organizations such as the Motor Transport Institute and the Partnership for Road Safety.
• - The research results are clear - a helmet can reduce the risk of serious head injuries by up to 60 percent - says Maria Dąbrowska-Loranc, head of the ITS Road Safety Center.
• However, failure to comply with traffic regulations and excessive speeding remain a problem. The mandate to install speed limiters hasn't entirely addressed these issues. "Many scooters available for sale, especially those not officially distributed, have the ability to unlock speeds significantly above the limit," points out PBD President Dorota Olszewska.

From the beginning of January to the end of May of this year, there were 223 accidents involving electric scooters, in which 12% of users were driving under the influence of alcohol. One person died and 242 were injured. This represents an increase of 121 accidents and 136 injuries (one fewer fatality) compared to the same period last year.

It has long been said that it is necessary to introduce a helmet requirement into the law, especially for underage users of e-scooters, but also for bicycles, among others (many cyclists also ride without helmets, and the consequences of collisions or accidents are no less dire).

From the perspective of the Motor Transport Institute, which has been analyzing the causes of road accidents and their effects for decades, this is the most appropriate solution.

The research results are clear - a helmet can reduce the risk of serious head injuries by up to 60 percent.

- signals Maria Dąbrowska-Loranc, head of the ITS Road Safety Centre.

The Partnership for Road Safety (PBD) also strongly supports the introduction of a helmet requirement for electric scooter users.

"Accident analyses and medical data clearly indicate that head injuries are among the most serious consequences of falls and collisions, often leading to permanent disability or death. A helmet, even at low speeds, significantly increases protection and minimizes the risk of serious injury ," says PBD President Dorota Olszewska.

He adds that the arguments in favour of this solution are similar to those used in the case of cyclists, where the association also calls for the introduction of such an obligation.

"Electric scooters, due to their specific characteristics—instability, small wheels, and the ability to reach high speeds—are vehicles whose users are particularly vulnerable to falls. Furthermore, they often travel in urban environments, sharing space with other road users, which increases the risk of collisions," explains Dorota Olszewska. "Introducing mandatory helmet wearing would be a simple and effective step toward improving the passive safety of these users."

The National Road Safety Council, which operates under the Minister of Infrastructure, adopted a similar approach. It discussed the issue at its May meeting, and at its most recent meeting, held on July 14, it unanimously adopted a resolution introducing a statutory requirement for children under 16 to wear helmets while riding bicycles and electric scooters, among other things . As a result, Minister of Infrastructure Dariusz Klimczak will propose adding such a provision to the Road Traffic Act.

"In 2025, we will introduce mandatory helmet use for children up to 16 years of age riding bicycles, electric scooters, and personal transportation devices. There are a lot of these devices, including various types of electric skateboards and Segways, and new ones will soon appear. We want everyone who rides them to be safe," the minister argues, adding that such laws are already in place in many European Union countries.

In the context of the growing number of accidents, especially those involving electric scooters, ITS considers this change to be a step towards a real improvement in children's safety in public spaces.

It is also a response to the appeals of the medical community, which recognizes the scale of threats resulting from the lack of security measures.

- emphasizes Maria Dąbrowska-Loranc from ITS.

According to Professor Beata Jurkiewicz, a national medical consultant in pediatric surgery , children who have suffered accidents involving these devices appear every day in almost every emergency medical unit and emergency room in children's hospitals . These injuries are often serious.

At the beginning of July this year, the University Hospital in Zielona Góra reported the problem on its Facebook profile, citing a situation from July 1, when an LPR helicopter transported a boy and a girl who had fallen while riding an e-scooter.

"The boy suffered a serious head injury and was placed in a medically induced coma in our pediatric intensive care unit. The girl, with multiple fractures of the facial bones, was transported for surgery to the maxillofacial surgery department," the post reads.

At the end of June, Minister Klimczak reported that this year there had been 130 incidents involving people riding electric scooters, almost 60% of which involved children under 17 years of age, and 30% of these accidents were very serious.

The regulation on wearing a helmet on e-scooters and bicycles will join the obligation to wear a helmet for motorcyclists introduced in the 1960s and for moped riders in the 1990s.