Rising e-scooter injuries and deaths prompt experts to call on governments to pass urgent reforms to protect riders

A rise in e-scooter injuries and deaths has prompted experts to call on governments across the country to urgently introduce reforms to better protect and safeguard riders.

A rise in e-scooter injuries and deaths has prompted experts to call on governments across the country to introduce urgent reforms to better protect riders. Picture: Julianne Osborne

E-scooter deaths are rising across Australia with two riders on average dying each month in 2025, and the number of fatalities is set to surpass last year’s record, sparking calls for stronger regulation.

There have been five e-scooter fatalities in Queensland this year, the latest over the weekend, with four deaths in Western Australia and two in New South Wales, bringing the 2025 total to 11, just short of the total 2024 death toll of 13.

Queensland figures are the highest in the nation as it is one of the only jurisdictions that allow children under 16 years to ride e-scooters under adult supervision.

The Australian Capital Territory also allows users under 16 to legally ride the scooters but only one death has been recorded since 2022.

NSW, Victoria, WA and Tasmania only allow people 16 and over to legally ride personal mobility devices in public spaces.

Riders in the Northern Territory and South Australia are required to be at least 18.

Last month, the Crisafulli government in Queensland launched a parliamentary inquiry into e-scooters and e-bikes after the state recorded a 112 per cent rise in personal mobility device injuries since 2021.

A similar inquiry was held in NSW last year, and the WA government launched an inquiry this month after a 51-year-old man was struck and killed by an e-scooter in Perth’s CBD.

The death sparked calls from WA’s Road Safety Minister for an investigation into the “commonwealth’s responsibility and role in allowing the importation of e-rideables”.

It also prompted the City of Perth to suspend the hiring of e-scooters.

The rise in personal mobility device deaths has prompted experts to call on governments across the country to introduce urgent reforms to better protect riders.

Matthew Clanfield, who worked in the pediatric ICU department at Sunshine Coast University Hospital last year, said every two to three days a child injured on an e-scooter would come through the emergency department.

Dr Clanfield co-authored a two-year study into pediatric e-scooter trauma, saying one in 10 children sustained potentially life-threatening or life-threatening injuries.

“We were seeing lots and lots of kids coming in after being seriously injured, mostly young male teenagers aged 14 to 15,” he said.

“(It’s) very concerning because they’re just about to hit the best part of their life, and unfortunately there’s now kids who won’t be able to enjoy it (instead) depending on their parents for the rest of their lives.”

Dr Clanfield called on the Queensland government to “act now” and “put sensible age limits on e-scooter use”.

“A 12-year-old has no idea about how to navigate a roundabout safely … and that puts them at an unacceptable risk,” he said.

“I don’t see how it’s a sensible idea to keep a 12-year-old on an e-scooter on the road.”

The University of Melbourne’s Milad Haghani is calling for a unified national PMD policy across Australia. Picture: X

According to research compiled by the University of Melbourne’s Milad Haghani, children comprise one in three e-scooter deaths in Australia.

It is a trend that has alarmed Mr Haghani and prompted him to call for a “unified national” PMD policy.

He added that Australia’s “patchwork” regulation of e-scooters had “not been helpful in letting people know what the rules are”.

“There is no reason for different states to have so many variations in terms of their basic policies when it comes to e-scooters and e-bikes,” he said.

But while Queensland and WA await inquiry recommendations, one Cairns business is already taking action.

Luke Belik, who runs Cairns Electric Bikes, pulled e-scooters from his shelves following the death of a 12-year-old boy who was killed when he struck a parked ute this month.

“I became increasingly aware that they were unpopular with the community,” Mr Belik told The Australian.

“And I wouldn’t be comfortable sleeping at night if I sold a scooter to someone who later died.”

He added the decision to stop selling the devices was also due to customer satisfaction concerns.