A report from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) has found hospitalisations from e-scooter incidents have more than tripled over the past five years, driven primarily by a surge in injuries among teenage boys. Boys aged 12 to 15 were 15 times more likely to end up in hospital from an e-scooter fall in 2024/25 than they were in 2019/20, and four times more likely than girls in the same age group.
The AIHW report, offering the first national perspective on e-mobility injuries, recorded e-scooter-related deaths rising from seven in 2014/15 to 20 in 2024/25, though the overall death rate remained stable. AIHW spokesperson Jacqueline Rek cautioned that the findings should not be taken as precise counts because of how injuries are currently classified, but noted improved data codes introduced in July this year will allow for better differentiation between devices like e-scooters and e-bikes in future reports.
Dr Richard J Buning, a University of Queensland researcher whose work indicates almost one million e-bikes and e-scooters are privately owned in Queensland alone, stressed that safety improvements must keep pace with the 30 per cent annual growth in e-mobility device purchases. He identified unsafe, non-compliant, high-powered devices as a primary concern, and welcomed stronger federal e-bike import standards, modelled on European Union regulations, aimed at restricting their sale.
“It’s these unsafe, non-compliant, illegal devices that are creating much of the problems of people riding really fast on high-powered devices,” Dr Buning said. “But the safe, compliant devices, they don’t provide more power than just a normal typical average fit person can provide.”
Dr Buning highlighted Queensland’s regulatory response, including an e-bike assurance scheme that will require a compliance label for all e-bikes ridden in public from March 2027. The state requires riders to be at least 16 and hold a driver’s licence, or be supervised by a parent. He advocated for school-based education initiatives to address unsafe riding behaviour, noting that while younger riders attract the most attention, 70 per cent of e-mobility device users are over the age of 40.
Hospitalisation rates also increased for e-bike riders, although the AIHW report noted these data are harder to capture accurately due to how the injuries are classified.
Analysis
Why This Matters
- The sharp increase in serious injuries places additional strain on hospital emergency departments and raises questions about how cities manage the rapid adoption of new transport modes.
- The findings highlight a tension between promoting e-mobility as a green transport solution and ensuring that safety regulations keep pace with device capabilities and user behaviour.
- Australia’s regulatory responses, particularly the alignment with EU import standards and Queensland’s compliance labelling scheme, could serve as a model for other jurisdictions facing similar challenges.
Background
E-scooters and e-bikes have become a common sight on Australian roads and footpaths, offering an affordable and low-emission transport option. Their popularity has grown rapidly, with private ownership in Queensland alone estimated at close to one million units. This growth has outpaced the development of consistent national regulations, leading to a patchwork of state-based rules covering ages, speeds, and where the devices can be ridden. The AIHW report represents the first attempt to quantify the national injury burden associated with these devices, though the authors caution that existing data codes have not always distinguished clearly between different types of e-mobility devices.
Key Perspectives
[Health and Safety Authorities]: The AIHW and experts like Dr Buning argue the data demonstrates an urgent need for better data collection, stronger import controls on high-powered devices, and targeted safety education. They frame the problem as concentrated among a small number of unsafe, non-compliant devices and risky user behaviour, particularly among young riders.
[E-Mobility Industry and Commuter Advocacy Groups]: While acknowledging the safety concerns, this group points to the fact that the vast majority of e-mobility users are responsible adults over 40. They caution that excessively restrictive regulations, such as compulsory licensing for all riders, could stifle a popular and sustainable mode of transport. Dr Buning’s distinction between safe, compliant devices and dangerous, illegal imports supports this call for targeted rather than blanket restrictions.
[Policymakers and Regulators]: State and federal governments face the challenge of balancing the clear benefits of e-mobility with a growing injury toll. Queensland’s approach of a phased-in compliance scheme and graduated licensing represents a testing ground for how to manage this balance, and its outcomes will be closely watched by other states.
What to Watch
- The implementation and enforcement of Queensland’s e-bike compliance label requirement from March 2027.
- Whether the new injury classification codes introduced in mid-2026 lead to more precise reporting in the next AIHW data release.
- The impact of strengthened federal import standards on the availability of over-powered, non-compliant e-bikes.
- Potential moves by other Australian states and territories to introduce similar compliance or licensing regimes.