Popular but precarious: low helmet use among shared micromobility program riders in San Francisco
BackgroundShared micromobility programs (SMPs) are integral to urban transport in US cities, providing sustainable transit options. Increased use has raised safety concerns, notably about helmet usage among e-scooter and e-bicycle riders. Prior studies have shown that head and upper extremity injuri...
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| Format: | Article |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2024-12-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Public Health |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2024.1477473/full |
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| author | Willow Frye Willow Frye Lara Chehab Lara Chehab Joshua Feler Laura Wong Amy Tan Benjamin Alpers Benjamin Alpers Devika Patel Devika Patel Christiana von Hippel Christiana von Hippel Amanda Sammann Amanda Sammann |
| author_facet | Willow Frye Willow Frye Lara Chehab Lara Chehab Joshua Feler Laura Wong Amy Tan Benjamin Alpers Benjamin Alpers Devika Patel Devika Patel Christiana von Hippel Christiana von Hippel Amanda Sammann Amanda Sammann |
| author_sort | Willow Frye |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | BackgroundShared micromobility programs (SMPs) are integral to urban transport in US cities, providing sustainable transit options. Increased use has raised safety concerns, notably about helmet usage among e-scooter and e-bicycle riders. Prior studies have shown that head and upper extremity injuries have risen with SMP adoption, yet data on helmet use remains sparse.MethodsThis cross-sectional observational study evaluated helmet use among 5,365 riders (e-bicycles, conventional bicycles, and e-scooters) in San Francisco during February and March 2019. Observations were made at seven key intersections during peak commute hours on clear days.ResultsThe majority rode conventional bicycles (77.1%), followed by e-bicycles (19.0%) and e-scooters (3.9%). Most vehicles (82.2%) were personally owned, with the remainder shared via SMPs. Helmet usage was substantially lower among SMP riders, with shared e-scooter users showing the lowest compliance. Specifically, shared e-scooter riders wore helmets 70% less frequently than personal e-scooter riders and 59% less than shared e-bike riders. Dockless e-bike riders used helmets 42% less than those on docked e-bikes.ConclusionThis study exposes significant gaps in helmet usage among SMP riders, highlighting a pressing need for public health interventions and policy adjustments to improve safety and reduce head injury risks. The findings suggest that helmet use is notably deficient among e-scooter and dockless e-bicycle riders, underscoring the urgent need for targeted safety regulations as cities continue to integrate SMPs into their transportation frameworks. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-b42ab99cb8bf4d829beb7671be702849 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2296-2565 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-12-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Public Health |
| spelling | doaj-art-b42ab99cb8bf4d829beb7671be7028492025-08-20T02:36:59ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Public Health2296-25652024-12-011210.3389/fpubh.2024.14774731477473Popular but precarious: low helmet use among shared micromobility program riders in San FranciscoWillow Frye0Willow Frye1Lara Chehab2Lara Chehab3Joshua Feler4Laura Wong5Amy Tan6Benjamin Alpers7Benjamin Alpers8Devika Patel9Devika Patel10Christiana von Hippel11Christiana von Hippel12Amanda Sammann13Amanda Sammann14Department of Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United StatesThe Better Lab, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United StatesDepartment of Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United StatesThe Better Lab, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United StatesDepartment of Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United StatesDepartment of Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United StatesDepartment of Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United StatesDepartment of Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United StatesThe Better Lab, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United StatesDepartment of Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United StatesThe Better Lab, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United StatesDepartment of Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United StatesThe Better Lab, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United StatesDepartment of Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United StatesThe Better Lab, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United StatesBackgroundShared micromobility programs (SMPs) are integral to urban transport in US cities, providing sustainable transit options. Increased use has raised safety concerns, notably about helmet usage among e-scooter and e-bicycle riders. Prior studies have shown that head and upper extremity injuries have risen with SMP adoption, yet data on helmet use remains sparse.MethodsThis cross-sectional observational study evaluated helmet use among 5,365 riders (e-bicycles, conventional bicycles, and e-scooters) in San Francisco during February and March 2019. Observations were made at seven key intersections during peak commute hours on clear days.ResultsThe majority rode conventional bicycles (77.1%), followed by e-bicycles (19.0%) and e-scooters (3.9%). Most vehicles (82.2%) were personally owned, with the remainder shared via SMPs. Helmet usage was substantially lower among SMP riders, with shared e-scooter users showing the lowest compliance. Specifically, shared e-scooter riders wore helmets 70% less frequently than personal e-scooter riders and 59% less than shared e-bike riders. Dockless e-bike riders used helmets 42% less than those on docked e-bikes.ConclusionThis study exposes significant gaps in helmet usage among SMP riders, highlighting a pressing need for public health interventions and policy adjustments to improve safety and reduce head injury risks. The findings suggest that helmet use is notably deficient among e-scooter and dockless e-bicycle riders, underscoring the urgent need for targeted safety regulations as cities continue to integrate SMPs into their transportation frameworks.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2024.1477473/fullhelmet use behaviorhelmet use lawsmicromobilityelectric bicycleelectric scooterhead injury |
| spellingShingle | Willow Frye Willow Frye Lara Chehab Lara Chehab Joshua Feler Laura Wong Amy Tan Benjamin Alpers Benjamin Alpers Devika Patel Devika Patel Christiana von Hippel Christiana von Hippel Amanda Sammann Amanda Sammann Popular but precarious: low helmet use among shared micromobility program riders in San Francisco Frontiers in Public Health helmet use behavior helmet use laws micromobility electric bicycle electric scooter head injury |
| title | Popular but precarious: low helmet use among shared micromobility program riders in San Francisco |
| title_full | Popular but precarious: low helmet use among shared micromobility program riders in San Francisco |
| title_fullStr | Popular but precarious: low helmet use among shared micromobility program riders in San Francisco |
| title_full_unstemmed | Popular but precarious: low helmet use among shared micromobility program riders in San Francisco |
| title_short | Popular but precarious: low helmet use among shared micromobility program riders in San Francisco |
| title_sort | popular but precarious low helmet use among shared micromobility program riders in san francisco |
| topic | helmet use behavior helmet use laws micromobility electric bicycle electric scooter head injury |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2024.1477473/full |
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