National e-scooter safety program rolls into Victoria

AUSTRALIA’S first national school-based e-scooter safety program is expanding into Victoria as new data shows youth injuries from e-mobility devices are rising sharply.

Road safety charity BRAKE Driver Awareness Australia has developed the program for students aged 11 to 15, covering hazard recognition, speed and stopping distances, peer pressure and legal responsibilities.

It has already reached more than 90,000 students across more than 190 Queensland schools and is now rolling out in Victoria and South Australia.

The expansion comes as figures show nearly half of all e-scooter injuries in Victoria involve children aged 10 to 14, despite laws prohibiting riders less than 16.

Nationally, e-bike accidents are now the most common injury type among teenagers aged 15 to 18, and 3.6 million Australians used e-scooters in a single year.

BRAKE chief operating officer John Duncan said education had failed to keep pace with the spread of the devices.

“Devices like e-scooters can be a young person’s first experience travelling at speed in shared traffic. While the technology and availability have arrived quickly, the education hasn’t, and that gap is costing young people their safety and, in some cases, their lives,” Mr Duncan said.

Nearly two in five e-scooter crashes occur between 9pm and 5am, when visibility is lower and intoxication rates are higher.

“Australian society has made huge strides in recognising the causes of serious road incidents, such as driving under the influence or using a mobile phone while driving. But those same risks apply to e-scooters, where riding intoxicated, without a helmet, or at night can be just as dangerous, but are not taken as seriously,” Mr Duncan said.

In January, two brothers from Kew were seriously injured when their unregistered e-scooter - travelling at roughly 56km/h, nearly triple the legal limit - struck a parked car on Surf Beach Road.

At the same scene, a 16-year-old from Cape Paterson was caught performing wheelies on an e-bike without a helmet.

“We are sick and tired of dealing with these illegal vehicles, and we will take action against any offending, and this includes illegal vehicles which are being used by children and teenagers,” Bass Coast Police said at the time.

Police urged parents to inspect any e-scooters used by their children to ensure they meet Australian legal requirements.

Mr Duncan said the program’s classroom-based model allowed teachers to deliver ongoing education rather than one-off presentations, making it accessible to students in regional areas.

“Road safety shouldn’t be something young people learn through tragedy,” he said.

More information is at brake.org.au.