Berlin police: In 3 months of e-scooters, 74 accidents

BERLIN (AP) — Berlin police say in the three months since popular electric scooters have been allowed in the German capital, they’ve seen 74 accidents, 65 cases of drunken driving and 233 traffic violations.

Police said Tuesday spot checks of scooter drivers in the evening hours show they are “frequently intoxicated” — and are treated the same as drunken drivers of automobiles.

In the accidents, there have been 16 serious injuries and 43 lighter injuries. Sixty-five have been caused by the scooter drivers themselves, and 27 of them were solo accidents. In 19 cases, scooter drivers have been investigated for leaving the scene.

Police say the main causes have been driver inattention, use of unauthorized paths, or alcohol.

Traffic violations include carrying more than one person and using mobile phones while driving.