Montreal Children’s Hospital wants Quebec to increase minimum age for riding e-scooters

Significantly more children have been admitted to the trauma centre at the Montreal Children’s Hospital with e-scooter-related injuries this year compared to last.

The MCH says it’s treated more than four times the number of children in the first six months of 2025 compared to last year.

More than half of those were in youth under the age of 14, and only half were wearing helmets.

Some of the injuries sustained included traumatic brain injuries, facial and dental trauma, fractures, lacerations and sprains.

It’s been two years since Quebec launched a pilot project authorizing e-scooters on the road, and the children’s hospital issued some recommendations to get those injury numbers down.

The hospital wants all users to follow the regulations in Quebec, such as wearing a helmet, respecting the 25 km/h speed limit, no riding on sidewalks, and no use of earphones or cellular phones.

The MCH trauma centre is also questioning if the minimum age for riding e-scooters, which is 14 in Quebec, is too young, saying it’s “currently below all other jurisdictions in Canada where there is a minimum age requirement.”

The hospital adds “many of the injuries on e-scooters are caused by inadequate road conditions and not individual behaviour.”

Those recommendations were part of a larger list of summer safety tips from the Montreal Children’s Hospital.

Water safety

Vigilant adult supervision, swimming lessons, CPR training, installing fencing with locking gates around pools, are just some of the hospital’s recommendations.

The MCH says its trauma centre sees at least one drowning or near drowning per week over the summer months, with 73 per cent of all drownings seen its emergency department occurring in home pools, park pools, aquatic centres or water parks.

“Every summer, our paramedics are called upon to intervene urgently with children who have drowned or suffered other accidents related to activities around water,” said Stéphane Smith, the director of communications for Urgences-santé.

“These situations, often avoidable, remind us how essential prevention is. As paramedics, we know that every second counts and that every act of prevention is a worthwhile investment.”

Windows and balconies

In terms of children falling from a window or balcony, the MCH recommends not placing furniture in front of a window, since it’s an invitation to climb; using guards that limit how much a window can open; and always locking the balcony door.

The hospital says its trauma centre sees at least 15 young children each summer who fell from a window or balcony.