More vigilance needed for electric scooter drivers in Montreal: report
Posted July 17, 2024 10:36 am.
Last Updated July 17, 2024 12:44 pm.
The Montreal Children’s Hospital (MCH) wants kids and teenagers to be more cautious while driving electric scooters.
Last fall, Quebec launched a pilot project authorizing e-scooters and other motorized mobility devices on the road.
The MCH claims that within the past three months, they’ve treated seven patients with electric scooter related injuries, with more expected to happen.
“Over the past five years, approximately half of all injuries from e-scooters seen at the MCH Trauma Centre were in youth under the age of 14,” said Debbie Friedman, Trauma Director, Canadian Hospitals Injury Reporting and Prevention Program Director and Associate Professor in the department of Pediatrics and Pediatric Surgery at McGill University.
Some of the reported injuries include fractures, lacerations, traumatic brain injuries and sprains.
At the end of June, a 14-year-old boy riding an electric scooter was hit by a car and killed, launching calls to make the area safer for children.
Quebec has several regulations for e-scooter drivers in place such as: a mandatory helmet, maximum speed of 25 km/h, brakes required on each wheel, minimum age of 14, no passengers, etc.
The MCH Trauma Centre noted that Quebec’s minimum age for riding electric scooters is below all other Canadian provinces with age requirements.
“Most of Canada and much of the United States requires that riders be at least 16,” reads a press release. “Many jurisdictions have opted for 20 km/h as the maximum speed limit instead of 25 in Quebec. Research has also shown that many of the injuries on e-scooters are related to road conditions.”
Liane Fransblow is the Trauma Coordinator of the MCH Injury Prevention Program.
She said that legislation will not prevent all injuries from happening.
“If you’re using an e-scooter, it’s important to know the risks involved, be aware of the road rules, know where e-scooters are permitted and make sure to wear a properly fitted helmet, with a tightly closed strap.”
