E-scooter injury burden on Brisbane’s biggest hospital revealed

More than 1000 people attended Queensland hospitals with e-scooter injuries last financial year, leading to government calls for riders to take responsibility for their own safety.

There were 1326 reported emergency department visits between July 1 last year and the end of June by people injured in e-scooter accidents, Queensland Health data reveals.

About 480 of those were treated at the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital.

A spokesperson for Beam says one in 100,000 trips ends in a reported incident.Credit: Beam

Overnight, another man, in his 20s, was taken to the RBWH with facial injuries following an e-scooter incident on Kingsford Smith Drive at 3.47am.

Earlier, a male teenager was taken to Nambour Hospital – also with facial injuries – after an e-scooter accident at Gumnut Court in Tewantin at 8.26pm.

Queensland Attorney-General Yvette D’Ath, a former health minister, said it was important that people take personal responsibility before further e-scooter restrictions were considered.

“Our emergency departments are full of people who have been injured on e-scooters,” she said on Saturday.

“I’ve driven around these busy cities and turned a corner to find a scooter lying on the road and someone on the footpath.

“We need people to take responsibility when they’re using these e-scooters to keep themselves safe, to wear the helmets, to watch the speeds, and to watch people on the footpaths, because they are doing harm – serious harm.

“We’ve seen kids losing their lives on e-scooters.”

About 12 per cent of people treated for e-scooter-related injuries required hospital admission.

Almost half the reported injuries were fractures (45 per cent), followed by open wounds (17 per cent).

About half of all casualties suffered head and facial injuries, with hands and shoulders also frequently affected.

The numbers have remained largely stable, with no dramatic increase on the previous year.

The City of Melbourne has banned rental e-scooters – including in the CBD – due to safety concerns.

A spokesperson for Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner said there was no plan to introduce similar rules in Queensland’s capital.

A spokesperson for scooter operator Lime said “election-year politics” played a significant role in the Melbourne ban.

“We do not expect this isolated decision to influence cities beyond Melbourne, as we’ve seen tremendous momentum in leaders embracing shared e-scooters globally,” the spokesperson said.

Fellow operator Beam has facilitated more than 10 million kilometres of electric travel across Brisbane since it entered the market in 2021.

“We have invested heavily into industry-leading technology and hardware to ensure the safety not only of our riders but also of other road users,” a Beam spokesperson said.

“Our purple e-scooters in Brisbane feature industry-leading technology for road safety.

“One out of 100,000 trips end in a reported incident, but we are working to bring that number down to zero.”

Beam and Lime vehicles are equipped with safety features not fitted to all privately owned models, including automatic speed limiting, geofencing to prevent riders entering high-density pedestrian areas, front and rear lights, suspension and blinkers.