Perth, June 22: A sharp rise in e-scooter injuries among children is contributing to a growing burden on hospital emergency departments, with new Australian research revealing injuries among young riders have more than quadrupled in just four years.
Researchers from UNSW Sydney examined 4,694 e-scooter-related emergency department presentations across Victoria between 2022 and 2025 and found child injuries aged between two and 14 years increased from 64 cases in 2022 to 263 cases in 2025.
The study comes amid growing concern over the popularity of privately owned e-scooters, which researchers say may be driving the increase in injuries among children despite laws prohibiting riders under 16 from using e-scooters on roads.
Lead author Dr Lisa Sharwood, an injury epidemiologist at UNSW Sydney, said the findings reflected a growing challenge both in Australia and internationally.
“The increase in injuries among children appears to be linked to the growing availability of privately owned e-scooters,” Dr Sharwood says.
“Share-hire schemes have age-verification systems and do not allow children under 16 to ride – but privately owned devices are much easier for children to access.”
She says many parents still view e-scooters as recreational devices rather than vehicles capable of causing serious harm.
“What parents need to understand is that e-scooters are not toys. They can travel at speeds capable of causing serious injuries, including fractures and head injuries.
“Access to more powerful devices should be matched to experience, maturity and the ability to manage risk.”
The research found young men accounted for the majority of injuries, representing 71.4 per cent of all emergency department presentations.
While children recorded one of the fastest-growing injury rates, young adults aged between 15 and 34 accounted for almost half of all presentations.
Researchers found the injuries were often serious. More than one-third of injured riders required admission to hospital, while almost one-third arrived by ambulance.
Head injuries were the most common injury recorded, followed by injuries to the wrist, hand and forearm. Fractures accounted for more than one-third of all cases.
“Emergency clinicians are not simply treating scrapes and bruises due to e-scooter injuries,” Dr Sharwood says.
“They are seeing fractures, head injuries and injuries affecting multiple parts of the body.”
Co-author Professor Alexandra Martiniuk said the findings highlighted the growing pressure on Australia’s healthcare system.
“These cases require significant hospital resources and place additional pressure on already busy emergency departments,” Prof. Martiniuk says.
The study also challenged a common assumption that collisions with vehicles are the primary cause of e-scooter injuries.
Nearly three-quarters of all injuries were caused by falls or riders losing control of their devices, while collisions with motor vehicles accounted for only a small proportion of cases.
“One of the most important findings from this study is that most injuries were not caused by collisions with cars or other vehicles,” Prof. Martiniuk says.
Researchers say the findings point to the need for stronger enforcement, better rider education and greater parental awareness, particularly as privately owned e-scooters become more common.
Nearly half of all child injuries occurred on roads despite under-16s being prohibited from riding e-scooters in those environments.
“It’s likely the solution will require a combination of enforcement, parental awareness and retailer responsibility,” Dr Sharwood says.
“Currently there is a disconnect between the rules and what is happening in practice.”
The study also found Australia lacks a consistent national approach to e-scooter regulation, with varying rules governing age limits, speed restrictions, helmet requirements and where riders can legally operate devices.
“Australia currently has a patchwork of different rules governing e-scooter use,” she says.
“This can be confusing for riders and makes it difficult to deliver consistent safety messages.”
Dr Sharwood said e-scooters were likely to remain a permanent feature of Australia’s transport network.
“E-scooters are now a permanent part of Australia’s transport landscape – which is great in many ways too.
“The challenge is ensuring we have safety systems that evolve as quickly as the technology and its use.”
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