E-scooter and personal mobility device fines on track to triple, with riders not wearing helmets a major factor

Queensland is on track to triple its number of fines issued for the act that, along with speeding, is responsible for nearly 80 per cent of e-scooter-related hospital admissions. See how the numbers have surged.

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Queensland is on track to triple its number of fines issued for not wearing a helmet while riding an e-scooter or mobility device, new data has revealed.

Statistics from Queensland Police shows there were 1094 infringements up until April 30 for failing to wear a helmet on a personal mobility device.

The latest data would put Queensland on track to hit more than 3000 infringements this year which is more than last year with 2250 and almost double the high number in 2019 with 1185.

Between November 2022 and December 2024, more than 2700 infringements were issued to PMD riders for illegal road use.

Health Experts say they are seeing an increase in e-scooter related presentations to emergency departments with more severe injuries related to higher speed and lack of helmet use.

JTI Chair of Trauma Surveillance and Data Analytics Professor Kirsten Vallmuur said every year they were seeing an increase in e-scooter related presentations to the emergency department.

Data from the JTI sourced from the Queensland Injury Surveillance Unit (QISU) which captures data from 30 EDs across QLD show there’s been more than 100 per cent increase between 2021 and 2024 with nearly 80 per cent of all emergency department presentations involving riders not wearing a helmet or speeding.

An e-scooter rider not wearing a helmet at Brisbane’s South Bank. Picture: David Clark

From January and February there have already been 305 ED presentations.

“We’re seeing more use of private scooters out in the community and the private scooters are the ones we’re particularly concerned about that travel at higher speed,” Prof Vallmuur said.

“We do see more severe injuries when we have injuries related to higher speed and lack of helmet use as well. 

“We do see a higher admission rate to hospital for people who aren’t wearing helmets.”

RACQ’s Principal Technical Researcher, Andrew Kirk said most people should be aware of the basic rules for riding e-scooters like wearing a helmet and a speed limit.

“E-scooters are not a toy, they are a serious mode of transport and as we’ve seen, when they are used incorrectly or illegally, they can cause significant, life-changing injuries or even death,” he said.

Riding e-scooters incorrectly can lead to serious injury. Picture: David Clark

“As part of our submission to the State Government’s parliamentary inquiry, we’re calling for full-faced helmets to be mandatory for people using private stand-up e-scooters and for hire scooters to transition to more stable sit-down models that have a lower centre of gravity.

“We believe these changes to legislation would reduce the number of severe and life-threatening facial and head injuries we’re seeing present in emergency departments almost every day.”

A Queensland Police spokesman said the service called on the community to take personal mobility device laws seriously.

“As of June 12, 2025 four people have tragically lost their lives using PMDs on Queensland roads this year,” he said.

“These devices, such as e-scooters, e-skateboards and e-bikes are becoming an increasingly popular mode of transport, but they are not toys.

“They are subject to Queensland’s road safety laws and, if used incorrectly or illegally, can result in serious injury or death.”

Originally published as E-scooter and personal mobility device fines on track to triple, with riders not wearing helmets a major factor