One Queensland hospital sees about two children a week injured in e-scooter accidents, prompting public health experts to call for an urgent overhaul of safety regulations.
A report published today in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health revealed that on the Sunshine Coast alone, in 2023 and 2024, 176 children aged five to 15 needed hospital treatment after an e-scooter accident.
One in 10 of those injuries were life-threatening or potentially life-threatening, while 37 per cent of those patients suffered a fracture.
Queensland legislation allows children 12 to 15 to ride e-scooters if they are supervised by an adult.
Speeds are curtailed to 25km/h on roads and 12km/h on pedestrian walkways. Helmets are mandatory and riders doubling up is forbidden.
However, 42 per cent of cases analysed in the study were children or teens who weren’t wearing a helmet at the time of their accident, 36 per cent involved speeds greater than 25km/h and 12 per cent involved doubling.
Collisions with cars were seen in 13 per cent of the presentations and 8 per cent involved other e-scooters or mobility devices.
Most patients (71 per cent) were male and the median age was 14 but ranged from five to 15.
Lead author Dr Matthew Clanfield, who worked at the Sunshine Coast University Hospital during the study period, says that he was concerned to see the frequency and range of injuries being caused by e-scooter use amongst paediatric patients.
“While working at the hospital we would see a child or teen attend the emergency department with e-scooter injury every few days,” he said.
“The types of injuries ranged from minor fractures and injuries, through to traumatic brain injuries requiring a craniotomy.
‘”A lot of the parents attending were extremely upset to see their child hospitalised and weren’t aware how risky e-scooters can be or the legal requirement for supervision under 16.”
The release of the research follows an announcement from the Queensland Government that it will hold a public enquiry into e-scooters and other mobility devices.
Queensland and ACT are currently the only two states that allow e-scooter use under 16 years of age. Clanfield is calling for a minimum age of 16 to be imposed in Queensland until safety measures are improved.
Public Health Association of Australia chief executive, Adjunct Professor Terry Slevin, said e-scooters were a public health and safety concern across Australia.
“We understand that e-scooters can be a fun and convenient way to travel, but unfortunately the way they are being used now, particularly by teens and children at high speeds, are proving a genuine public health risk and injury prevention issue,” Slevin said.
“This study provides data in one region and in one hospital, but this is an issue in every town and city where they have landed across Australia, including in busier areas.
“This study found almost 180 kids were hospitalised in one regional area, at one hospital. Multiply that finding across Queensland and Australia and we are looking at thousands of preventable injuries, as well as lives lost. It is the tip of the iceberg.”
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