A Queensland hospital says e-scooters and e-skateboards are "having an impact" on health services statewide, with a noticeable rise in injuries over the last year.
Gold Coast University Hospital said there were 100 emergency department presentations for e-scooter incidents in 2021, with the majority in their late 30s to late 40s.
Eighteen to 27-year-olds were also highly represented.
On Monday two men aged in their 30s and 40s were taken to hospital after e-scooter and e-skateboard incidents at Upper Coomera and Currumbin Waters.
On Tuesday a Sunshine Coast man was taken to hospital after an e-scooter incident at Caloundra, and on Moreton Island a child was airlifted to hospital after an e-scooter crash.
The Queensland Ambulance Service's Lachlan Parker said injuries related to the electric-powered vehicles had increased noticeably.
"From a statewide perspective, personal mobility devices, or e-scooters, e-skateboards, the incidents are increasing," he said.
"Every day we would see something around Queensland happening.
"We have people coming off them and hurting themselves and poor pedestrians being hit by people riding them.
"Often these patients require hospitalisation and surgical intervention."
Head injuries and broken bones
Mr Parker said people were suffering serious head injuries due to collisions.
"I think it's generally the younger people, but often people using them recreationally on the weekend," he said.
"There are a large number of injuries, many just minor, but we do see orthopaedic fractures to wrists, arms, legs and some dreadful incidents where people have suffered significant injuries to their head.
"There's a mandate for people to wear a helmet, but if you don't wear one and your head strikes the pavement or a tree, you can have significant, life-changing consequences."
Mr Parker warned people not to ride while intoxicated or to underestimate the risks of riding unsafely.
Rule changes imminent
Transport Minister Mark Bailey said Queensland had double the national average of mobility device users and that new regulations were on the way.
"We had a roundtable very late last year, so we're looking at them at the moment," he said.
"We had the roundtable to bring together different kinds of groups — we had trauma experts, disability experts, pedestrian groups, cycling groups, police, the users and the sellers, got everyone into a room for half a day and went through a range of things.
"But there'll be a couple of things coming in the short term, a few other things that we're working on over the next series of months and we'll come to a conclusion, but we want to work with stakeholders so everyone's part of the solution."
