The rise follows the municipality’s decision last autumn to double the number of rental scooters in the capital. From April 1st, the combined fleet from Voi, Bolt and Ryde increased from 8,000 to 16,000 vehicles.
Since then, monthly injury reports at Oslo’s hospital emergency wards have been roughly double those of 2024.
According to the Accident and Emergency Department at Oslo University Hospital, a total of 1,023 people have been injured in 2025 to date, compared to 454 during the same period in 2024.
According to Trygg Trafikk, the Norwegian Council for Road Safety correlate the rise in accidents directly with the increased number of scooters available.
“Last autumn, the Oslo municipality decided to double the number of e-scooters available for rental in the city, and we now see a clear connection between that decision and the doubling of injuries”, the Director of Trygg Trafikk Tanja Loftsgarden told The Local.
She called for stricter rules including a ban on people being able to use the scooters at night to avoid alcohol-related accidents.
“We urge the municipality to introduce limits on the number of e-scooters and regulate where they can be parked," she said.
"Improperly parked e-scooters pose a danger, especially for pedestrians. In addition, it is important not to allow the use of commercial e-scooters at night, which we understand the municipality is currently considering. It is well known that allowing access to commercial e-scooters at night increases the risk of intoxicated riding” Loftsgarden said.
High risks
Hospital data show that head and arm injuries account for over 65 percent of all cases. Among the most serious injuries, knee and calf injuries are most common, followed by head trauma. Of the 286 riders treated for head injuries so far this year, only four were wearing helmets. Young men are the most frequently injured group.
Norway's Trygg Trafikk say riders face a 5–7 times higher risk of injury on an e-scooter than on a regular bicycle, and the risk is more than three times higher at night.
Old problems
Norway has faced scooter safety challenges before. The summer of 2021 became known as the “summer of horror,” when nearly 1,900 people were treated for injuries in Oslo alone — around five per day.
In response, stricter rules on riding the scooters were introduced - including 0.2 blood alcohol limit to electric scooters - the same consequences as driving a car while under the influence of alcohol. In 2023 no scooter-related deaths were recorded.
Norway has been strict in enforcing the rules. In 2022 a woman was fined 80,000 kroner, and a man was fined 88,800 kroner, in separate incidents, for being caught over the blood alcohol limit of 0.2 while using the scooters.
Here are the current traffic rules for e-scooters in Norway:
- Minimum age: 12 years.
- Only one person is allowed in the vehicle – the driver risks a fine of NOK 3,000.
- Helmets are mandatory for riders under 15.
- Maximum speed of 20 km/h, regardless of location.
- Maximum speed of 6 km/h when passing others on the sidewalk.
- Riders must yield to cars and cyclists from the right.
- To use a pedestrian crossing, riders must dismount and roll their scooter; cars are then obliged to stop.
- Riders must stop at red lights when in the roadway.
- If there are too many people on the sidewalk for you to pass, get off and roll your vehicle or drive into the roadway.
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