Teen e-bike injuries surge tenfold as riders lose control on paths
Hospitalisations from e-bikes and e-scooters have doubled or tripled in five years, with boys aged 12 to 15 hit hardest.
Australian hospital data shows a dramatic jump in injuries from e-bikes and e-scooters since 2019. For e-bikes, hospitalisation rates doubled from 1.7 to 4 per 100,000 people in collision injuries, and rose from 1.8 to 4.4 for non-collision falls.
E-scooter falls tripled from 5 to 15 per 100,000. The spike is steepest among young boys.
For boys aged 12 to 15, e-bike hospitalisations jumped tenfold in five years, and e-scooter falls rose 15-fold. Fractures are the most common injury, followed by open wounds, superficial wounds, and intracranial injuries.
Riders are struggling with speed and path conditions, and witnesses report seeing blood on bike paths from time to time.
- 3.8 to 38 per 100,000
- Boys 12-15 hospitalisation rate increase
- 1.7 to 4 per 100,000
- E-bike collision rate increase
- 5 to 15 per 100,000
- E-scooter fall rate increase
- 2019-20 to 2024-25
- Time period
Why it mattersTeenagers are getting serious head and spinal injuries at a rate that has exploded in five years, and the trend shows no sign of slowing.
AustraliaYoung Australians are ending up in hospital with broken bones and brain injuries from e-bikes and e-scooters at rates that have doubled or tripled since 2019, putting pressure on emergency services and forcing families into unexpected medical costs.
✓ Claims checked against the source and corrected before publish. checked 41 min ago
