Qld police fine more than 1000 e-scooter riders in just three weeks

Queensland police have issued shocking fines to over 1000 riders in just three weeks, with most caught without helmets despite 12 deaths this year.

E-scooters in Brisbane’s CBD

An average of more than 300 people a week are being fined for riding a personal mobility device dangerously, in the latest crackdown by police.

Officers have issued out 1003 infringement notices in the past three weeks since Operation X-ray Surety was launched amid a growing problem.

From November 3 to 23, 796 people were given infringements for not wearing a helmet, 83 were fined for driving a prohibited road, 33 were speeding and 30 failed to stop.

Statistics from Queensland police until November 2 show there were 3708 handed out, with 2291 for not wearing a helmet and 736 for riding on a prohibited road.

It comes as police urge parents to learn and understand their legal responsibility when considering gifting e-scooters this Christmas.

So far this year 12 lives have been lost on Queensland roads while riding an e-mobility device.

Road Policing Group Chief Superindendent Mark Wheeler said police are doing everything they can to prevent people being injured and keep people safe.

“When you look at 1000 traffic infringements issued, and particularly what they’ve been issued for, to see that in almost 800 occasions, people are not wearing helmets,” he said.

“Not only is it the law, helmets are proven to save lives, so that’s one of the most concerning aspects.

“A number of people have actually been issued infringement notices for speeding. So if you couple those two speeding without a helmet, it really can have catastrophic consequences.”

E-scooters in Brisbane’s CBD

He said police were seeing people riding a number of non-compliant personal mobility devices, including deliberately modified ones used to increase their speeds.

“Given that we’re one month away from Christmas, we’re really concerned that parents are going to go out and understandably want to buy their children a nice gift, and doing it with some knowledge will really help, because you don’t want to buy your child a gift that ends up in a tragedy,” he said.

“Buying an e-mobility device doesn’t give your child free rein to ride it whenever or however they want – it means you as the parent or carer need to know the rules and supervise them properly.”

He said police had been working on educating the general public on how to use them.

“What these numbers do not capture is the conversations our officers are having with parents, children and Queenslanders every day,” he said.

“Unfortunately, the majority don’t seem to have an understanding about safety and non compliant devices

“Police are routinely stopping people in the streets speaking to them, particularly when they’re using a PMD, but more importantly, getting into schools and getting the message around schools, also partnering with some of our bike shops to make sure the information is available.

“For instance, if you go in there to buy a device, that people are making really informed choices as to whether they actually want their child to have one of these devices, quite simply, a child under 12, it’s illegal for them to use.”

Originally published as Qld police fine more than 1000 e-scooter riders in just three weeks