eScooter safety is no joke—a 2018 electric scooter safety study suggests that in the US, at least 20 people are injured for every 100,000 eScooter rides. Further e-scooter safety studies in the UK claim a reported 882 accidents and 931 casualties in 2021, with this figure steadily rising over the following months.
As such, it’s important to take extra precautions for your own personal protection and safety. Before starting your eScooter and setting off into the sunset, read through our list of recommended safety gear and learn how to best protect yourself below:
Why Is Safety Gear Important When Riding an eScooter?
- Prevents Serious Injury / Protects the Rider
The single most important reason to wear safety gear is for your own protection. Two riders can suffer the same crash at the same speed, yet the unprotected rider will come off far worse every time.
Adequate safety gear can prevent serious head injuries, broken wrists, dislocated knees, or an otherwise fatal incident. We understand that many of our readers love riding and live for speed, but it’s important to stay responsible in order to continue riding!
- Helps Keep You Warm
An often underlooked factor is that additional layers of safety gear help keep riders nice and warm during the colder winter months. That helps prevent discomfort or locked limbs when riding, especially during long-distance rides. The end result is a much safer and more comfortable ride.
Riding a lot during the colder winter months? Here’s everything you need to know about winterizing your PEV and keeping it running optimally in the cold.
- Boosts Your Confidence
From eScooters to motorbikes, all riders must feel relaxed and confident in both their safety and ability. A nervous or distracted driver is more prone to make mistakes, so confidence is key. Self-doubt can cause confusion to oncoming traffic, potentially causing a car to misread your movements or intention.
Whilst safety gear won’t stop a car, it should give you the confidence to keep your nerves and follow your instincts. Just remember: no matter what you wear, you will never be invincible!
- Increases Visibility to Other Traffic
Since the 13th century, there have been few things more imposing to humans than a well-armoured individual. Modern armour is no different, catching the attention of pedestrians and other traffic far faster than your standard generic rider.
Please note that most safety gear on the market is black or darkly coloured. As such, we highly recommend choosing equipment with reflective colouring, or wearing an additional high-visibility jacket when riding at night.
Types of Body Protection Gear for eScooter Riders:
Helmet
Easily the most essential piece of equipment, we insist on wearing a helmet at all times when riding. Riding an e-scooter in a helmet is just as vital as wearing a high-quality helmet for motorcycling. There are virtually no valid reasons not to wear one, as even a small accident or fall at speed poses the risk of a serious head or brain injury. Repeated stress or trauma to the head may also prompt degenerative neurological diseases, as commonly seen in retired boxers.
The most important parts to protect are the cranium and back of the head. Whilst a good bike helmet will do the trick, we consider this the minimum level of protection. If you’re like me, you’ll also want to protect your fantastic face.
For this, we recommend a full-face helmet for optimal protection. It’s worth noting that full-face helmets slightly reduce your peripheral visibility. Therefore, it’s important to strike a balance that works for you, and take extra precautions when riding an unfamiliar route.
For those seeking maximum defence, read through our sister site’s range of motorcycle helmet reviews now.
Body Armour
A great choice for vulnerable riders and off-roaders alike. Suitable body armour for riding varies from standalone chest or leg protection to complete sets spanning the entire body. Such sets of total body armour eliminate the need for additional elbow or knee protection, as it’s already built into the suit.
Armour is great for preventing any cuts or scrapes from falls, especially when on the road. Most armour offers decent resistance to blunt force impacts, but it definitely won’t stop a car (or so much as tickle a tree). However, good armour still greatly reduces your odds of suffering serious injuries in a crash.
The bottom line is that whilst you may still break bones in a serious accident, you’ll stay in one piece and with minimal additional injuries. View our list of motorbike armour reviews for some heavy-duty recommendations.
High-Visibility Clothing
As mentioned, visibility is incredibly important for continued safe riding, especially on the roadside. The public is still adapting to eScooters and not everyone is familiar with them. Maintaining a clear and recognisable presence will help drivers to immediately process you and act accordingly.
We recommend wearing a high-visibility reflective jacket at a minimum. Optimal gear includes additional high-vis trousers and reflective stickers on your eScooter frame for added visibility.
Wrist Guards/Brace
Although some may find these a little cumbersome, wrist guards are an underrated saviour amongst skaters and eScooter riders alike. Many people try to catch themselves when they fall, often slamming their hands or wrist first. This will easily result in a broken wrist or tendon damage when falling off an eScooter, especially at speed.
Wrist guards offer a great layer of support in such cases, although they will not completely prevent a fracture or injury if the fall is severe enough. Options span from budget generic guards to high-end gauntlet gloves that offer hand protection as well.
Knee/Elbow Guards
Raising your elbows and lifting your knees as you fall is natural; yet we still risk a nasty slam and potential break or dislocation if left unprotected. Much like wrist guards, knee & elbow guards offer a vital layer of additional protection and will greatly reduce the chance of injury.
A nasty slam to your elbow will do some damage. Whilst we recommend both knee and elbow guards, the impact is much more likely to hit your knees first. We would prioritise protecting your knees, as serious tendon damage can cause permanent pain or impact your mobility forever.
Prevent any unnecessary breaks, fractures, or tendon damage. Make sure you always wear a good pair of knee and elbow guards when riding.
Gloves
Besides knees, hands are usually the first thing to hit the ground. Palms and fingertips are resilient yet very sensitive areas, so a hard slam might not break anything, but it’s likely going to sting a lot. We recommend wearing a solid set of gloves over your wrist guards for maximum protection if you’re purchasing wrist-protectors separately.
Goggles or Cycling Sunglasses
An often overlooked yet underrated essential, especially if you intend on riding at high speeds. After just 10 minutes, your eyes will be streaming with tears from the air resistance. Even a cheap pair of ski goggles or cycling glasses will protect your eyes from this—along with debris such as dust, dirt and insects.
Speaking from experience, there are few things more distracting or annoying than getting a fly stuck in your eye at high speeds. Most options on the market are very similar to ski or motorcycle goggles. However, if you’re really on a budget, a pair of Flexvision goggles will do the trick. They’re engineered for skydiving, so wind resistance will never be an issue again.
Please note that goggles are not necessary if you already have a full-face helmet with a visor.
Do I Need Full Body Armour to Ride My eScooter?
Not technically—although we heavily recommend it for any high-speed or off-road riders. Alongside this, any long-distance commuters who ride on the road should definitely invest in protective body armour. Roads are rough and will show you no mercy, especially at speed. In these situations, it’s much nicer when it’s clothing scraping across the ground and not your own skin.
Whilst most casual riders and commuters need not bother, it’s best to evaluate your riding habits to see if they necessitate a set of full body armour—or any other safety gear. Roads often aren’t in the best condition, so it’s always better to be safe than sorry. With that out of the way, let’s move on to our list of eScooter safety modifications:
Additional eScooter Safety Modifications & Considerations
Riders can make several modifications to their eScooter with after-market accessories for additional safety. Whilst nothing will protect you as well as good riding practices, these modifications and checks will help reduce the likelihood of an accident:
- A loud bell for alerting others.
- Grippy, fat tires (if off-roading).
- Select a model with riding modes for varying levels of skill.
- After-market front/rear lighting (if not already integrated).
- Check your eScooter is functioning properly (tire tread/pressure, brakes, suspension).
- Padlock or chain—discover how to best protect your eScooter from theft now.
Final Thoughts on e-Scooter Safety Gear
So there you have it: our complete collection of the most recommended safety gear for eScooter riders. Following all of these safety suggestions will both reduce the risk of injury, alongside much of the damage caused by an accident. That being said, always maintain safe riding practices and pay attention—it’s easily the best way to prevent rider injury when out and about!
Learn these safe riding practices for yourself by reading through our off-road eScooter guide now. Alternatively, return to our PEV news section for the latest EV developments. As always, thanks for reading. we hope we covered everything you needed to know.
Got a question or spotted something we may have missed? Leave us a comment, we’d love to hear from you!