What Risk Factors Contribute to E-scooter Crashes? Findings from a naturalistic riding study on a University campus

Abstract: Although shared fleets of e-scooters have grown in popularity over the past decade, we are just beginning to understand risk factors contributing to crash and injury rates among riders. In this naturalistic riding study, a fleet of 200 e-scooters on the Virginia Tech campus in Blacksburg, VA was instrumented with gyroscopic sensors and video cameras over a six month period in 2019. Algorithms were developed to identify crashes and near crashes in the dataset, and the videos were reviewed and classified by a range of infrastructure, behavioral, and environmental risk factors. Using a case-cohort study design, odds ratios were then calculated for each risk factor, providing important insights into what steps operators, campuses, and municipalities can take to mitigate them.

Bio: Dr. Andrea Broaddus is a transportation policy expert focused on managing the demand for travel through behavioral incentives and land use practices. She has published articles on road pricing and transit-oriented development and has served as a lecturer at UC Berkeley and San Jose State since 2010. She currently works as a Research Scientist for Ford, in Palo Alto. Other private sector experience includes research on future mobility topics for Robert Bosch LLC and as a planning practitioner with Nelson/Nygaard Consulting Associates. Dr Broaddus has also worked in non-profit advocacy on local and state transportation policy in Madison, WI, and federal policy in Washington, DC. Her research on European transportation policy and practice led to year-long fellowships in Hamburg, Germany, and London, England. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Geology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Masters of Public Policy / Urban Planning from the Harvard Kennedy School, and a PhD in Transportation Planning from UC Berkeley.