Economy 20 June 2025, 3:31pm

Sharp increase in e-scooter accidents in Poland, Hungarian figures not reassuring eaither

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The number of accidents involving electric scooter users in Poland has doubled since the beginning of the year compared to the same period last year, with 447 incidents recorded according to police data reported by the Polish daily Rzeczpospolita. The Hungarian figures are much lower but far from being reassuring.

In Poland,

447 accidents involving e-scooter riders resulted in 416 injuries and four fatalities, with half of the victims being children or minors.

According to Polish regulations, children under 10 are prohibited from using electric scooters without adult supervision, while those over 10 require a cycling licence to operate such vehicles, Hungarian newswire MTI reported on Friday.

The speed limit for e-scooters is 20 kilometres per hour in cycle lanes and they must travel at pedestrian speed on pavements. However, Antoni Rzeczkowski, a road traffic official from the Polish police headquarters, says that police sometimes stop e-scooter riders travelling at speeds of up to 70 kilometres per hour.

Data from the Polish Road Traffic Institute reveals that over 50% of e-scooter users exceed the speed limit and that only 5% wear helmets.

Hungarian regulations

It is estimated that there are between 80,000 and 100,000 e-scooters in Hungary, of which around 25,000 are available for rent or shared use. The remainder are privately owned. Although there are no official statistics, these figures are based on surveys and estimates from organisations such as the Future Mobility Association.

New and stricter rules for e-scooter use are expected to come into effect in Hungary in 2026.

The most significant change is the distinction between lower- and higher-performance scooters. Lower-performance e-scooters, which can reach speeds of up to 25 km/h, can be ridden by children aged 12 and over. However, 12- and 13-year-olds must wear a cycle helmet. These vehicles will be permitted to travel at a maximum speed of 10 km/h on pavements and 20 km/h in other traffic areas.

The rules for higher-performance scooters are set to be even stricter. Those capable of speeds of up to 45 km/h will be subject to the same regulations as mopeds. Riders must be at least 14 years old and have compulsory third-party insurance. These scooters will be only permitted on roads and, outside built-up areas, on cycle paths at reduced speeds. They will be completely prohibited from using pavements and cannot carry passengers.

Hungarian statistics

The Central Statistical Office (KSH) has only started collecting statistics on accidents involving e-scooter or e-bike riders since January 2024.

Last year, e-scooter riders were involved in 367 accidents resulting in personal injury, and there were 58 such accidents in the first three months of this year.
E-bike riders caused 133 accidents resulting in personal injury on the road last year, and 22 in the first quarter of 2025.
By comparison, moped drivers caused 497 accidents resulting in personal injury in 2024, and 83 in the first three months of this year.
Meanwhile, bike riders (not on e-bike) caused 1,228 accidents resulting in personal injury last year, and 160 in the first quarter of this year.
Passenger car drivers caused 9,675 accidents resulting in personal injury last year, and 1,929 in Q2 this year.

Between January 2024 and March 2025, the number of accidents resulting in personal injury reached 155 for e-bikes and 425 for e-scooters.

As regards the seriousness of the accidents, the KSH breaks them down into four categories: (i) fatal, (ii) serious injury, (iii) light injury, (iv) no injury.

Fatalities

Last year, 23 accidents (1.87%) caused by bike riders were fatal, but this figure was 3.13% in the first three months of this year.
As for moped riders, six or 1.21% of personal injury accidents were fatal last year, compared to two (2.41%) in Q1 this year.
Of the 367 accidents resulting in personal injury in 2024, only three (0.82%) were fatal when caused by an e-scooter rider. There were no deaths in this category in the first three months of 2025.
Last year, three accidents caused by e-bikers were fatal, accounting for 2.26% of the 133 cases. In contrast, one of the 22 cases this year proved to be fatal, equating to 4.55%.

The following graphs show a monthly breakdown of the above vehicles in terms of the severity of the accidents they caused.