Road congestion - Rise in e-bike mishaps involving senior citizens
Last year in Berlin, police tallied up 135 e-bike accidents with injured individuals. Both young adults aged 21 to 44 and those aged 45 to 64 were involved in slightly over 50 accidents each. Around 23 accidents occurred amongst older folks. Compare that to the number of e-bike accidents in 2019 where there were merely 61, and in 2021 with 124.
Meanwhile, in the sparsely populated Brandenburg, authorities tracked down 431 e-bike incidents with personal injuries. In 2019, the number of such cases was remarkably lower, barely reaching 200. Statistics show that "the number of accidents increases with age." Of these accidents, seniors above 64 were responsible for 154. The 45 to 64 age bracket accounted for 157 accidents. The reasoning behind the increase in the older age group may be due to activities outside their homes. In stark contrast, Berlin sees many e-bike accidents amongst the younger generation, possibly due to the fact that a significant chunk of city workers use pedelecs for their daily commute.
Taking into consideration all bike accidents involving cyclists who were at fault and resulted in injuries, men were responsible for about two-thirds of these incidents. This proportion has stayed fairly consistent in recent times.
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Despite the rise in e-bike traffic in Berlin, the number of accidents involving senior citizens increased significantly last year, reaching 23 compared to only 6 in 2019. Authorities in Brandenburg also reported an increase, with seniors above 64 being responsible for 154 e-bike accidents out of a total of 431. This trend of increased accidents with age raises concerns, and it may be associated with seniors' activities outside their homes. In stark contrast, Berlin sees a higher number of e-bike accidents among the younger generation, possibly due to the prevalence of e-bikes as a commuting option for city workers. In these incidents, men were responsible for about two-thirds of the cases, a pattern that has remained consistent in recent times.
