The key demographic for e-scooter injuries has been identified, according to a physician at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. The classic e-scooter injury is a boy, aged 10-12, who is not wearing a helmet and is involved in a high-speed crash.
Dr. Daniel Rosenfield, a pediatric emergency physician at SickKids, notes that the injuries are not limited to children. Adults are also involved in accidents, often due to poor judgment, which can put their children in harm's way.
Rosenfield cites examples of children as young as three to five years old being injured while riding on an e-scooter with a parent, and siblings who are involved in accidents when one child tries to ride with a younger sibling on the scooter as a game.
The hospital has seen a significant increase in e-scooter injuries in recent years, with 23 cases in 2023, 46 in 2024, and 107 in the latest year for which numbers are available. The injuries range from minor scrapes to life-altering head trauma and complex surgeries.
Rosenfield emphasizes the importance of wearing helmets and operating e-scooters safely, adding that the devices were not designed for passengers, especially when navigated by children.
The city defines an e-scooter as "an electric kick scooter (e-scooter) is a two-wheeled, battery-powered vehicle with handlebars and a platform to stand on." E-scooters are illegal to operate on public streets, sidewalks, bicycle lanes, cycle tracks, trails and paths, and parks in Toronto.
Despite the ban, the city's health department has found a doubling effect, with emergency department visits and urgent emergency visits more than doubling between 2022 and 2024. About 68% of people treated for e-scooter fall injuries in an emergency department setting were male.
Rosenfield urges parents to understand that e-scooters are not toys and should not be bought for children, as they are often involved in accidents due to their inability to navigate the devices safely.
