Key facts
- Emergency department visits for e-scooter, scrambler, and e-bike injuries are rising exponentially.
- Adults and children are presenting with severe traumatic brain injuries, fractured limbs, organ injuries, and spinal fractures.
- E-bike related presentations have doubled since last year.
- The increase in these injuries is straining Ireland's healthcare system.
- New regulations include age limits, mandatory helmets, and high-visibility clothing for e-scooter users.
- Non-compliance with safety regulations is widespread.
Doctors in Ireland are warning of an "exponential" increase in emergency department presentations due to injuries sustained from e-scooters, scramblers, and e-bikes. Consultants from Dublin's Mater hospital told the Oireachtas justice committee that the rising numbers are stretching an already overstretched system, requiring significant hospital resources and impacting waiting times for other patients.
Dr. Luke Phillips and Dr. Shane Broderick noted that while fractured limbs are common, severe traumatic brain injuries, organ injuries, and spinal fractures are also being seen in both adults and children. Dr. Phillips highlighted that over a third of traumatic brain injury admissions in children are related to e-scooters, a pattern now observed in adults. Dr. Broderick stated that e-bike related presentations have doubled since last year.
The consultants welcomed government measures such as Grace's Law, which bans scramblers in public places, and recent restrictions on e-scooter age limits and safety gear. However, they also called for a ban on the import and sale of "non-road-legal machines". Michael Murphy, chair of the Oireachtas transport committee, observed significant non-compliance with safety regulations during a recent trip across Dublin city centre, noting instances of multiple riders on single scooters, underage riders, and a lack of helmets and high-visibility clothing.
In Toronto, doctors at the Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) are also reporting an "exponential" rise in serious e-scooter injuries among children, with some requiring operative care, intensive care, or prolonged rehabilitation. Dr. Suzanne Beno described the injuries as resembling those from high-speed motor vehicle accidents, often involving head, chest, and abdominal trauma, as well as complex fractures.