Drama at Lake Wörtherson: 11-year-old E-Scooter driver injured!
Drama at Lake Wörtherson: 11-year-old E-Scooter driver injured!
On the evening of June 28, 2025, an incident occurred on Wörthersee-Süduferstraße in Klagenfurt, which raises the worries about the safety of driving e-scooters again. An 11-year-old girl who steered an e-scooter was involved in a collision with a car. The driver, a 61-year-old man from Klagenfurt, turned right, while the girl intended to turn left onto the Höhenweg. In this collision, the 11-year-old fell and fortunately only suffered minor injuries. However, the 61-year-old continued without stopping, only thanks to the intervention of passers-by, he could be stopped before returning to the scene of the accident and then fled. The young scooter driver was treated in the Klagenfurt hospital after the first aid. The incident is now being investigated to clarify all the details and to determine possible measures to avoid future accidents, as police
Why are e-scooters so controversial? In recent years, they have experienced explosive growth, both in use and unfortunately also in the number of accidents. According to a study by the [KFV] (https://www.kfv.at/alarmierendendendes-dynamik-bei-e-scooter-and--- and-an--fuenffachung-der-wehrten/), the number of e-scooter injuries treated in the hospital rose from 1,200 in 2019 to 6,000 in 2023. This corresponds to a quinter, and the whole thing happens in a market that is increasingly being stressed by alcohol accidents. Scary 12% of the incrised e-scooter steering ends had an alcoholic value of over 0.8 per thousand at the time of the accident, which is alarming compared to other road users such as car and motorcyclists.
risks and warnings
The fact that 90% of the alcoholic e-scooter travelers had a blood alcohol value of over 1.0 per thousand. Despite all the warnings, some people seemingly to take to the streets. The penalties for driving under the influence of alcohol can be up to 5,900 euros, and the helmet trage quota in Austria is only around 9%. This is a worrying statistics that supports the need for sharper security measures.
For Vienna there was a similar picture: According to ORF Vienna, the number of e-scooter accidents in 2022 rose by 40% compared to the previous year with more than 1,200 registered accidents and 800 injured persons. The main causes? Carelessness, alcohol and speed overruns. The City of Vienna is now planning additional measures to improve security, including increased controls and educational campaigns.
an appeal to all e-scooter drivers
In view of these worrying developments, it is important to become aware of the risks. The KFV demands for a helmet obligation for all e-scooter drivers, not only for children under the age of 12, are getting louder. Safety measures such as a second brake and a throttling to 20 km/h could also help to reduce the number of accidents. The following applies to all e-scooter drivers: If you are in traffic-free zones, be considerate, stick to the traffic rules, and above all, do not drive alcoholic. So the journey with the e-scooter could be fun again and become safer.| Details | |
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| Ort | Wörthersee-Süduferstraße, Klagenfurt, Österreich |
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