The RACQ wants to see full-face helmets become mandatory for e-scooters. Photo courtesy ANDREW KACIMAIWAI
The recent announcement of a state parliamentary inquiry into electric scooter and bike safety has been welcomed by RACQ.
And the Queensland automotive club says a three-year research study shows there is a need for reform as the number of severe head injury cases at hospitals rises statewide.
The RACQ says in 2024, there were 1504 cases of e-scooter related injuries that appeared at 30 emergency departments that took part in the study compared to 231 in 2023.
The research also shows that on top of almost 30 Queenslanders seriously injured every week last year, eight people died while riding personal mobility devices in Queensland.
EARLIER STORY: Qld to investigate electric scooters, bikes amid rising safety concerns
RACQ’s General Manager of Advocacy Joshua Cooney says the inquiry is necessary and that they look forward to making a submission to it.
“We cannot deny that e-scooters have become a popular mode of transport across the state and will continue to become increasingly important in the mobility landscape,” he says.
“Our members and the research tell us that we must find ways to co-exist and make them safer for all road users.”
The three-year research partnership, between RACQ and the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital (RBWH) Foundation, was conducted by the Jamieson Trauma Institute (JTI).
In 2022, RACQ and the Foundation gave $200,000 to JTI to fund its research into e-scooter injuries.
Now, Cooney wants the government to consider the results of the JTI research as part of its inquiry.
“We are looking forward to making a detailed submission to the inquiry and working with the government to make all personal mobility devices safer,” he said.
The RACQ wants full-faced helmets to become mandatory for those using stand-up e-scooters and for hired scooter operators to switch to more stable sit-down scooters that have a lower centre of gravity.
According to the state government, there was a 112 per cent rise in injuries to personal mobility devices riders, passengers, and pedestrians from 2021 to 2024.
ONE CHARGED OVER E-SCOOTER-BICYCLE CRASH
Meanwhile, Brisbane Police have charged a 19-year-old Zillmere man over a collision between an e-scooter and bicycle at Cameron Rocks Reserve, Hamilton.
Police say that at about 3.35pm on May 7, an e-scooter headed inbound on Kingsford Smith Drive entered the Lores Bonney Riverwalk and collided with a bike that travelled in the opposite direction.
Police say that the scooter rider remained at the scene briefly but had left before emergency services arrived.
On May 10, the man was charged with dangerous operation of a vehicle and failing to comply with duties of rider involved in an injury crash.
He is due to appear in Brisbane Magistrates Court on June 24.
