Motoring body RACQ has welcomed the State Government’s announcement of a parliamentary inquiry into e-mobility safety after years of advocating for electric scooter reforms.
In 2024, there were 1,504 presentations to participating Emergency Departments in Queensland as a result of an e-scooter crash, an increase of 231 from 2023.
On top of the almost 30 Queenslanders per week being seriously injured last year, eight people were killed while riding Personal Mobility Devices in Queensland.
Research has revealed that presentations to emergency departments are becoming more frequent and more severe in Queensland. Severe facial and head injuries have become a major concern for hospitals.
A three-year research partnership between RACQ and the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital Foundation, conducted by the Jamieson Trauma Institute (JTI), showed reform was needed to address the seriousness of life-changing injuries and deaths as a result of e-scooter crashes.
This group has been advocating for full-faced helmets to be mandatory for people using private stand-up e-scooters and for hired scooters to transition to more stable sit-down scooters that have a lower centre of gravity.
In 2022, RACQ and the RBWH Foundation donated $200,000 to JTI to fund research into e-scooter injuries.
This article appeared in Allora Advertiser, 7 May 2025.
