A new electric scooter airbag is starting to look very real. Recent crash tests point to big drops in head and chest injuries when a rider hits a car at city speeds. The idea sounds simple, and that is part of its charm.
The system comes from Autoliv, a long-time maker of car airbags and seatbelts. Engineers fixed the electric scooter airbag on the scooter frame, close to the handlebar area. From the outside the unit looks like a compact box that blends into the front of the scooter. Inside you find sensors, a small control unit, and the folded airbag.
In the test lab, a standing rider dummy rolls straight into the front of a passenger car. The sensors read a sharp change in speed and send it to the control unit. The unit decides a crash is happening and fires the inflator. In a split second the electric scooter airbag bursts upward and opens between the rider and the car. The dummy no longer slams straight into metal. It hits the airbag first.
Test data shows large cuts in key injury numbers. Peak loads on the dummy’s head drop far below common injury limits once the airbag inflates. Chest forces fall as well. Neck loads and bending moments shrink by a wide margin. In plain words, the body takes a softer hit, which gives the rider a better shot at walking away.
This work arrives in a tense moment for e-scooter safety. Hospitals in many countries report more and more scooter injuries each year. Trauma teams treat many riders with head injuries and broken bones. Helmet use among injured riders stays low in many reports. At the same time, more scooters share space with cars, buses, and trucks in crowded streets. Crashes grow in number and in public attention.
Lawmakers have started to react. In Italy, for example, new rules bring helmets, license plates, and liability insurance into the e-scooter world. The changes follow thousands of recorded injury crashes and more than twenty rider deaths in a single year. Other regions watch these steps closely and argue about their own mix of rules and street design changes. Extra hardware such as an electric scooter airbag enters that debate and gives authorities fresh tools to consider.
The project links to a wider push for better protection on two-wheelers with motors. Autoliv plans to start production of a “bag-on-bike” airbag for motorcycles in early 2025. That system sits on the motorcycle and aims at frontal impacts, the same type of crash that hurts many riders. The scooter concept uses the same family of sensors, control units, and gas inflators. That shared base can help scooter makers move faster once they decide to fit the system.
For day to day use, the setup feels almost invisible. There is no vest to zip up and no buckle to clip before each ride. The electric scooter airbag stays hidden in the body of the scooter until a hard crash happens. A rental user who scans a code and rides off still gets the extra protection. Fleet owners gain a safety upgrade that works for tourists, commuters, and anyone who rides on a whim.
The electric scooter airbag does not fix every problem on its own. It does not stop a car from turning without looking. It does not turn a wet, oily corner into a grippy one. It sits in the background and steps in when things have already gone wrong. Riders still need a good helmet, bright lights, working brakes, and a bit of patience in traffic. Street design, bike lanes, and lower speed limits keep their place in the safety picture as well.
Even with these limits, the idea feels like a real step up. For a rider who shares narrow city streets with heavy vehicles, a direct hit with a car is the nightmare crash. If an electric scooter airbag cuts head and chest loads in that one event, the change in outcome can be huge. Less time in hospital. Fewer life-changing injuries. More riders who get to go home the same day.
The next move now sits with scooter brands, rental fleets, and transport agencies. They need to weigh cost, extra weight, and space on the scooter against the safety gains from real crash tests. If they choose to go ahead, higher-end scooters and shared fleets may become the first wave. In time, a stand-up scooter with no crash protection at all may start to feel old-fashioned.