An Emergency Department physician at the Janeway Children’s Hospital is calling for more regulations around e-bikes and e-scooters after a spike in children showing up for treatment.
Several accidents have been reported throughout the summer across the province involving these machines, many of them involving kids, with some having suffered serious injuries.
Dr. Gillian Sheppard says there’s been a rise across the province, and in 15 years in the ER, she’s never seen anything that compares to the number of hospitalizations.
She says more regulations are needed, and that children should not use the machines.
(VOCM News)
“We’re seeing more injuries and many are serious,” she told VOCM News.
“E-bikes and e-scooters are not designed for children. So both the Canadian Pediatric Society and Parachute Canada advise that children under 16 should not ride e-bikes or e-scooters. I’ve heard from my colleagues in rural emergency departments that they’re experiencing the same increase in e-bike and e-scooter injuries that we are here in St. John’s.”
(VOCM News)
She says anyone who does use them should be using a motorcycle helmet.
“Our children also need appropriate protection when they’re on these vehicles, so they need helmets.”
“We don’t actually have any research to suggest which helmet is appropriate. So we would recommend that when they’re riding a motor vehicle, like an e-bike or e-scooter that’s going over 32 kilometers per hour, which many of these vehicles do, that they wear a certified moped or motorcycle helmet.”
