As the number of e-bike related serious injuries rises in Australia, parents have called for tighter regulations.
Recent data from the Queensland Injury Surveillance Unit (QISU) has indicated that cases of e-bike related trauma or injury have skyrocketed from 1626 patients requiring emergency treatment in 2024 to 2000 patients in 2025.
Comparatively, a study using data from the Sydney Children’s Hospital Network (SCHN) has indicated that e-bike and e-scooter injury-related admissions tripled from 2023 to 2025.
These findings reflect a national concern among parents, as young children and teenagers are disproportionately involved in cases of serious injury.
Mother of two teenage boys, Leanne Wright largely attributed peer pressure and inexperience to the rise in serious injuries.
“I don’t let my boys ride without a helmet,” Mrs Wright said.
“Teenagers are such an impressionable age group; one mate forgoes a helmet or tries to weave through traffic and his friends naturally conform.”
While Mrs Wright allows her children to ride to and from school on e-bikes, she tries to otherwise limit their usage.
“E-bikes are a mode of transport, not a toy,” she said.
According to paediatric surgeon Dr Bhavesh Patel, the emergency department of the Queensland Children’s Hospital treats most cases of e-bike related injury during the hours following the end of the school day.
“The average age of all of the children presenting to hospitals with injuries is ten,” Dr Patel told ABC News.
Because of this, Dr Patel cited the need for stricter minimum age requirements, as children lack the necessary cognitive skills and risk management to accurately assess road behaviour.
“That age [ten] has the mentality that they don’t think it can happen to them,” he said.
Dr Patel also pointed to the severity of injuries as a growing concern.
“These aren’t the minor injuries that we can just do a quick x-ray and give some pain relief and go home…they take time to diagnose.”
For Mrs Wright, these risks are compounded by what she sees as a lack of enforceable regulation.
“Regulatory change shouldn’t require serious injury first,” Mrs Wright said.
“We need clearer rules, better education and greater awareness to highlight how preventable most e-bike accidents are.”
As calls for reform grow, state governments have begun reviewing existing laws, including speed limits, helmet requirements and age restrictions.
For parents like Mrs Wright, the challenge lies in balancing their children’s safety and their independence.
And for medical professionals and policymakers, the challenge is in how they respond to the rising number of serious injuries.
Additional reporting: Chloe Jarrett.
Feature image: Getty Images.
