Road safety data released by Germany's Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) shows a sharp escalation in e-scooter-related accidents resulting in injuries or fatalities across the country in 2025. The findings highlight growing concerns over rider behavior, illegal co-riding, and the vulnerability of young users as e-scooters become a more common sight on German streets.
German police recorded 16,496 e-scooter accidents involving personal injury in 2025, marking a 38.1 percent increase from the 11,944 such accidents logged in 2024. The human toll was substantial: 38 people lost their lives in these incidents, up from 27 fatalities the year before. Beyond the deaths, 1,895 individuals suffered serious injuries and another 16,184 sustained minor injuries during the year.
The vast majority of casualties, 14,936 people or 82.4 percent, were riding the e-scooters themselves, accounting for 33 of the fatalities. Notably, 822 casualties, or 5.5 percent, were passengers riding along with the scooter operator, a practice that is explicitly prohibited under German traffic regulations since e-scooters are designed for a single rider.
This passenger share rose from 4.7 percent in 2024, and one of the year's fatalities was among these illegal co-riders. The remaining five deaths involved other road users struck by e-scooters: three pedestrians, one cyclist, and one car occupant.
Despite the rise, e-scooters remain a relatively minor factor in Germany's overall accident picture. Of the 297,364 total traffic accidents with injuries recorded nationwide in 2025, e-scooter riders were involved in just 5.5 percent, though this is up from 4.1 percent in 2024. By comparison, bicycles featured in roughly 32.6 percent of all injury accidents, with 97,035 incidents, 462 cyclist deaths, and far higher volumes of serious and minor injuries.
Age patterns reveal that e-scooter accidents disproportionately affect younger people. More than half, 53.6 percent, of injured e-scooter riders were under 25, and 83.7 percent were under 45, while only 3.1 percent were 65 or older. Cyclists show a markedly different age profile, with just 21.4 percent of injured riders under 25 and a notably higher 20.9 percent aged 65 and above, likely reflecting broader usage patterns among younger demographics on e-scooters.
Improper use of roadways or sidewalks was the most common rider error, cited in 21.6 percent of cases, since e-scooter users are required to use cycle paths where available. Alcohol impairment was flagged in 10.9 percent of accidents, notably higher than the 7.7 percent rate among cyclists. Excessive speed and turning or reversing errors followed as the third and fourth most frequent causes.
Around 30.5 percent of e-scooter accidents were single-vehicle incidents, but collisions with cars proved deadliest, injuring 50.5 percent of involved riders and causing six deaths. E-scooter riders were found primarily at fault in just 38.1 percent of car collisions, compared to 74.3 percent of cyclist collisions and 88.7 percent of pedestrian collisions. Nearly half of all e-scooter accidents, 49.1 percent, occurred in cities with populations exceeding 100,000.
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