Introduction:
The rapid growth of electric scooter (e-scooter) use has introduced new challenges for road safety. While crash risk factors are increasingly documented, little is known about how riders subjectively evaluate risks in everyday traffic. Understanding these perceptions is crucial to designing effective prevention strategies.


Purpose:
This study aimed to compare perceived risk for behavioral hazards (e.g., speeding, intoxication) versus environmental hazards (e.g., poor visibility, dense traffic), and to examine whether risk perception varies by age, gender, and rider status (user vs. non-user).


Method:
A total of 100 participants (56 men, 44 women; 64 % under 35 years old) completed an online survey. Participants rated 36 short descriptions of traffic situations representing behavioral and environmental hazards on a 0-100 risk scale. Individual risk attitudes were measured using the Health/Safety and Recreational subscales of the DOSPERT questionnaire. Data were analyzed using repeated-measures ANOVA; additional nonparametric tests were used for robustness.


Results:
Behavioral hazards were rated as significantly riskier than environmental hazards. No effects of age, gender, or user status emerged. Exploratory analyses showed that participants with higher general health/safety risk sensitivity also reported higher risk perception overall.


Conclusions:
Findings suggest a consistent underestimation of environmental hazards, suggesting that riders may focus on risks they feel personally able to control. Interestingly, behavioral risks are judged as highly dangerous, yet previous research shows that many riders still engage in such practices (e.g., speeding, riding under the influence). This paradox highlights that awareness alone may not be sufficient to change behavior, and that prevention efforts must combine information campaigns with interventions addressing social norms and infrastructure conditions.