Record numbers of e-scooter riders are being admitted to Melbourne’s intensive care units as people continue to ignore the regulations.
From high-speed collisions to late-night collisions, the number of admissions at The Alfred Hospital’s trauma centre has doubled from 24 to 49 this year, as a result of e-bike and e-scooter usage.
Only four students were admitted in 2019-2020, and just two were admitted in 2018-2019.
Dr Jun Ban, a truma expert at the Alfred hostpial has spoken out and says electric scooters have caused a spike in serious injuries, and has called for urgent actions to be considerd.
According to a Victoria Police spokeperson 131 e-scooter collisions occurred between last December and July.
In the same time frame, 397 infringement notices were issued to e-scooter riders, with riding on the footpath (117) and not wearing a helmet (106) being the most common offences.
On Friday, police warned that fines of $185 would be issued to e-scooter riders who rode on the footpath, as well as to individuals who drove while intoxicated and under the influence of drugs.
“Even though the numbers might seem small, for every one person admitted, it’s life-changing for that one person and their loved ones,” says Dr Ban
An e-scooter rider in Melbourne’s Docklands crashed off a footpath last month, injuring a man in his 50s.
A 20 year old man also riding an e-scooter died in February near Melbourne after colliding with a station wagon on the Princes Highway.
Ben Rossiter Victoria Walks has said that the rise in injuries that has occurred during the e-scooter commercial trial, which began on February 1, and is what they predicted would happen.
Acting assistant road policing commissioner Justin Goldsmith says there’ll be a full evaluation that will take place as to the risk versus the value of the (trial) e-scooters.
“The compliance levels (are) probably not where we want them to be.” says Goldsmith.
According to Goldsmith police would be running dedicated e-scooter compliance operations over the next couple of months, particularly in the CBD and coming into warmer weather
Minister for Emergency Services Jaclyn Symes urged e-scooter riders to obey the law, saying that riding on the footpath endangered both the riders and others.
Symes told reporters don’t ride on the footpath because you’re subjecting yourself to danger and worse you’re subjecting other people to danger.
