Arabic version: حظر السكوترات الكهربائية في بيرث يرتبط بانخفاض إصابات الطوارئ

According to ABC News, a City of Perth ban on hiring e-scooters was followed by a significant reduction in e-scooter-related emergency department presentations at Royal Perth Hospital. The city suspended e-scooter hiring in June last year after a pedestrian died after being struck by one, prompting a parliamentary inquiry.

A study from Royal Perth Hospital, Western Australia’s major trauma centre, recorded 105 e-scooter injury presentations in the 12 weeks before the ban, including eight classified as major trauma. In the 12 weeks after the ban, there were 39 presentations, with four categorised as major trauma. The report said the findings indicated a reduction in emergency department burden associated with the ban on rideshare e-scooters.

The study also identified limits in its data, including difficulty distinguishing hire devices from privately owned e-scooters and determining where incidents occurred. Australasian College of Emergency Medicine WA branch chair Dr Vanessa Clayden said the result was a positive outcome from reducing access to e-scooters and could help inform future regulations, limits and controls aimed at reducing avoidable injuries.

WA Local Government Association president Mark Irwin said e-rideable use was growing rapidly and that regulation needed to keep pace, while recognising the devices as affordable, low-emission transport options. Nationals MP Peter Rundle, who led last year’s parliamentary inquiry, said the hospital data could assist other local governments reviewing e-rideable policies.

A state government spokesperson said all recommendations from the inquiry had been supported, or supported in principle, and implementation was underway. The measures include work towards banning e-rideables from high foot-traffic areas, creating a class for higher-powered devices that could face stricter licensing requirements, and considering penalties for retailers who help customers modify devices.