Bicycles and electric scooters are playing a bigger role than ever in daily mobility around the world, but with that rise comes a worrying trend: more accidents.

New data from the Vias Road Safety Institute shows a 62% jump in e-scooter accidents in the first three months of 2025. That’s 470 accidents between January and March,
compared to 291 during the same period last year. On average, this means five accidents every single day.

This rise is not happening in isolation. It’s part of a bigger safety issue affecting all light mobility users, both cyclists and scooter riders, mainly because the roads and infrastructure are not keeping up with how fast these vehicles are spreading.

A Problem Across the Country

All regions of Belgium are seeing increases, but some areas are being hit harder than others -

• Wallonia saw the sharpest rise, with a 95% increase in accidents.
• In Flanders, accidents rose by 62%.
• The Brussels-Capital Region saw a 44% increase.

These numbers likely underestimate the true scale of the problem, as many incidents, especially those involving solo riders, go unreported.

It’s Not Just Scooters

And it’s not just e-scooters. Data shows that while accidents with classic bikes have stayed fairly stable, accidents with electric bikes have more than tripled since 2020.

E-scooters aren’t the only vulnerable road users. Cyclists, especially teenagers, are also highly susceptible to accidents, particularly on roads without bicycle lanes. A 2020 study found that 67% of cycling accidents among young people occurred on quiet roads lacking separate cycling paths.

This is the same trend we see with e-bikes: they’re faster and more powerful, but the roads haven’t evolved to match their growth.

Casualties By Road User Type

Road accidents in Belgium fell slightly by 2.4% in 2024 compared to the previous year. Cyclist casualties dropped by 5% to 10.3k, but they still made up almost a quarter of all cases. E-scooter casualties, on the other hand, jumped nearly 14% to 1.6k, showing their growing share in road accidents.

Why Are Accidents Increasing?

Several factors contribute to this surge. A significant number of Belgians remain unaware of basic e-scooter regulations. A Vias survey revealed that:

• 44% don’t know the minimum riding age is 16
• 35% are unaware that carrying passengers is prohibited

Moreover, many riders do not wear helmets, despite research showing that 60% of seriously injured e-scooter users suffer head injuries.

The Role of Infrastructure and Rider Behavior

A  U.S.-based naturalistic study titled “Impact of Road Infrastructure and Traffic Scenarios on E-scooterists’ Riding and Gaze Behavior” provides deeper insight into how road design affects safety. While conducted abroad, its findings on human behavior in traffic offer a universal explanation for the trends we see in Belgium.

The study found that:

• Bike lanes promote stable riding with focused gaze and reduced head movement.
• Shared roads and sidewalks lead to erratic gaze patterns and increased cognitive load.
• Intersections, downhill paths, and interactions with cars or buses significantly raise stress levels and accident risk.

The Way Forward

Vias has recommended several measures to improve e-scooter safety:

1. Ban the import of models that exceed 25 km/h
2. Approve the curvomètre to measure e-scooter speed
3. Mandate helmet use
4. Require fluorescent vests at night
5. Strengthen technical standards, including minimum wheel size

The rise in e-scooter accidents is a multifaceted issue involving rider behavior, regulatory awareness, and infrastructure design. As Belgium continues to shift toward more eco-friendly transport, safety has to catch up. Our streets need to evolve as quickly as the ways we travel on them.

Check this keynote on micromobility safety by Philip Cris at Micromobility Europe 2025