Calls for stronger safeguards after spike in child injuries
Half of the nearly 500 children treated for electric scooter injuries in hospitals in Victoria last financial year were children aged 10 to 14; yet under-16s are excluded from highly publicized e-scooter trials and, more recently, banned from the mode of transport altogether.
485 patients aged 2 to 18 were treated in emergency departments in the 12 months to June 30, 2025; This showed a 67 percent increase in e-scooter injuries in children compared to the previous year.
Almost two-thirds of emergency department visits were boys, and 47 percent of them were patients between the ages of 10 and 14. As of April 2023, those under the age of 16 were not allowed to ride the e-scooters that were tested in the cities of Melbourne, Yarra, Port Philip and Ballarat.
The statistics are from the Victorian Injury Surveillance Unit and compiled by independent charity Kidsafe Victoria.
Monash Health’s head of pediatric emergency medicine, Dr. Adam West said that despite the latest safety measures, children continue to come to the hospital with various injuries due to the devices.
“It could be minor scrapes, sprains, broken bones. But we’ve seen some children with serious head injuries, skull fractures, brain injuries, and even a child with a ruptured spleen.”
“This is a new problem for us. It worries me.”
The boy, who said his spleen (an organ in his left ribcage) ruptured, did so in a suburban backyard, not on an open path or road, West said. Even though the boy was in a small area, the handlebars hit his stomach with tremendous force as he crashed into the fence.
“It’s not appreciated how unsafe electric scooters and bikes can be. The difference is that they don’t rely on the individual to push them; they’re self-propelled. Kinetic energy can build up very quickly and if you stop suddenly it has to go somewhere.”
“Serious injuries may occur in the backyard area.”
Victoria legislated safety standards for e-scooters last year after recent trials of shared devices, including mandatory helmet wearing, a maximum speed of 20km/h and a ban on their use on pedestrian-only footpaths. Riders must also be 16 years of age or older.
But Kidsafe Victoria chief executive Sarah Sexton said it was clear stronger measures were needed to protect children.
A Victorian coroner called for a ban on the import and sale of high-powered e-scooters in August last year.
“All you have to do is take a quick look online and it’s easy to see e-scooters being advertised with speeds well over 20km per hour,” Sexton said.
“Our wish is [governments] Really look at these import rules, both Victorian and national.
Sexton said while e-scooter regulations were tightened last year, not enough people were following the rules.
“There will be a huge awareness drive here so parents and carers are aware of what the legislation says.”
Broede Carmody is The Age’s health correspondent. He was previously the state political correspondent for The Age and national news blogger for The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect with: X or email.
