Grieving father slams 'ridiculous' delays on e-bike laws after horror crash night
Thirteen people have been rushed to Queensland hospitals after a horror night of e-bike and e-scooter accidents in a 12-hour window.
The father of a Gold Coast teen killed in an e-bike crash has slammed “absolutely ridiculous” delays in introducing tougher laws for the devices, after a horror night where 12 riders were injured on Queensland roads.
Jason Gagg, the father of 17-year-old Hudson Gagg who died in an e-bike crash at Tallebudgera on the Gold Coast in September, said the state government needed to act “now” and not wait for the results of a parliamentary review into e-devices due in March.
“It’s absolutely ridiculous to wait until March when there are so many kids and adults getting killed or hurt,” he said.
“A lot of families are buying their kids e-bikes and e-scooters for Christmas so by March it’s going to be too late.”
Those injured on Friday night included two teenage girls who suffered head and arm injuries in the same e-scooter incident at Eli Waters just before 9pm, a boy with a serious foot injury at Palm Beach, and a man in his 30s with a leg injury at Crestmead.
A primary school-aged boy was taken to hospital after falling from an e-scooter on Horseman Road at Warwick.
A man in his 40s and a woman in her 30s were both taken to Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital after separate incidents in Brisbane City on Friday night.
And a woman in her 40s was treated at Biloela Hospital with shoulder injuries after an e-scooter crash in the central Queensland town.
Despite a spate of accidents, including 13 fatalities this year, the state government is refusing to bow to pressure for tougher laws before a parliamentary inquiry report is handed down in March.
Speaking last month, Premier David Crisafulli vowed that “change is coming” but said it was “appropriate that we allow the (parliamentary) committee to do its job”.
Mr Gagg called for age restrictions and a night curfew for riders, as well as a certificate system for legal devices.
“A lot of young kids riding these things don’t have the road sense to ride during the day, let alone at night,” he said.
RACQ head of public policy Michael Kane said Queensland was in the grip of a “growing crisis” caused by high-powered e-mobility devices.
“As at the end of August, at least 1248 people were treated for e-scooter crashes – excluding e-bike injuries – and 12 more hospitalisations overnight underscores the seriousness of this crisis,” he said.
“While the government works through its inquiry, the laws to impound illegal devices already exist and need consistent enforcement.
“For legal devices, RACQ is calling for stronger safety measures, including full-face helmets for private riders and sit-down-only public devices to reduce risk.
“We’ve seen the trauma these devices cause – now is the time for action to prevent more lives being shattered.”
Police have also launched a major blitz on e-bike and e-scooter safety in recent weeks, targeting major roads and schools including Palm Beach-Currumbin High on the Gold Coast where an estimated 300 students have the devices.
Originally published as Grieving father slams 'ridiculous' delays on e-bike laws after horror crash night
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