SWOV has published a new fact sheet on light electric vehicles. As the name implies, a light electric vehicle (LEV) is a light, electrically powered vehicle to travel relatively short distances.
Which vehicles are classified as LEVs varies among publications and countries. In the Netherlands, those LEVs that the minister of Infrastructure and Water Management has designated as special mopeds can be used on public roads. Among other things, this implies that most electric scooters cannot be used on public roads in the Netherlands, whereas in many other European countries this is permitted.
Not much is known about the safety of LEVs since large-scale, systematic research is hardly available. Studies that have been done mostly concern electric scooters (e-scooters) abroad. That is why this fact sheet also focuses on e-scooters. The studies show that crash risk (number of crashes per billion kilometres) for e-scooters is higher than for bicycles. US research shows that the total number of crashes with e-scooters has decreased since their introduction, probably because of familiarisation with the vehicle. Young men (aged 20-40), first-time and occasional e-scooter users are most frequently involved in crashes. These are mainly crashes not involving other vehicles. In general, injuries are most serious when crashes involve motor vehicles. Injuries to the head or the upper limbs are most common. This fact sheet focuses on the road safety of LEVs.
