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Micro-mobility is a fast-growing trend in the transportation industry with stand-up electric scooters (e-scooters) becoming increasingly popular in the United States. To date, there are over 350 ride-share e-scooter programs in the United States. As this popularity increases, so does the need to understand the performance capabilities of these vehicles and the associated operator kinematics. Scooter tip-over stability is characterized by the scooter geometry and controls and is maintained through operator inputs such as body position, interaction with the handlebars, and foot placement. In this study, testing was conducted using operators of varying sizes to document the capabilities and limitations of these e-scooters being introduced into the traffic ecosystem. A test course was designed to simulate an urban environment including sidewalk and on-road sections requiring common maneuvers (e.g., turning, stopping points, etc.) for repeatable, controlled data collection.

This study assesses front seat occupant responses in rear impacts with active head restraints (AHR) and conventional head restraints (CHR) using field accident data and test data from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). 2003-2015 NASS-CDS data were analyzed to determine injury rates in 1997+ model year seats equipped with AHR and CHR. Results indicated that less than 4% of occupants were in seats equipped with AHR. Crashes of delta-V <24 km/h accounted for more than 70% of all exposed front seat occupants, irrespective of head restraint design. Rear crashes with a delta-V < 24 km/h included 35.6% fewer occupants who sustained a MAIS 1-2 injury overall and 26.4% fewer who sustained a MAIS 1-2 cervical injury in vehicles equipped with AHR compared to CHR. In IIHS 16 km/h rear sled tests, the biomechanical response of an instrumented BioRID was evaluated on seats with AHR and CHR. HIC15 and concussion risk were calculated from head acceleration data.

As micromobility devices (i.e., e-bikes, scooters, skateboards, etc.) continue to increase in popularity, there is a growing need to test these devices for varying purposes such as performance assessment, crash reconstruction, and design of new products. Although tests have been conducted across the industry for electric scooters (e-scooters), this paper describes a novel method for crash testing e-scooters with anthropomorphic test devices (ATDs) “riding” them, providing new sources for data collection and research. A sled fixture was designed utilizing a pneumatic crash rail to propel the scooters with an overhead gantry used for stabilization of the ATD until release just prior to impact. The designed test series included impacts with a 5.5-inch curb at varying incidence angles, a stationary vehicle, or a standing pedestrian ATD. Test parameter permutations included changing e-scooter tire sizes, impact speeds, and rider safety equipment.