Fatal e-scooter accidents prompt calls for regulation

The AMA has called for a community education campaign on the potential dangers of using e-scooters following a big increase in presentations to emergency departments from accidents.  

AMA President Professor Stephen Robson told ABC Radio Canberra this week that data showed the rate of injury and harm from using e-scooters was similar to motorbike use.  

Dr Robson’s interview was prompted by the tragic death of a 19-year-old woman in Canberra on an e-scooter, following a collision with a car. It’s just the latest fatality in a growing list of e-scooter deaths.  

He said studies from around the world published in the past year had painted a “worrying picture” of injuries and accidents caused by e-scooters. 

“We have very big campaigns and licensing requirements around motorbikes so it’s something we need to consider as a community. 

“While they look fun and colourful and there are a lot of peppy things about them, they still need to be treated with great caution.” 

Professor Robson said governments and safety authorities needed to consider broad safety awareness campaigns to make car drivers and other road users aware of the need to be “extremely cautious”. 

“We may need to look at areas where they can be used. It’s hard to regulate a lot of this, we just need to have a community education campaign, so you (drivers) are used to them popping up when we are not expecting them. 

“They can be difficult to see because they have such a small visual signature when we are driving around. 

“E-scooters arrived with great fanfare but not with a lot of education.

“In light of this tragic and terrible loss that we have seen in Canberra at the weekend of a young person, they (e-scooters) are not to be taken lightly,” he said. 

“We need to be careful in the way we allow people to use them, regulate and educate people and we cannot give the impression that they are completely harmless and fun.”