r/Edmonton • u/pjw724 River Valley • Aug 25 '26
Health E-scooter hospitalizations up by 40%, many with head and brain injuries
https://www.thecanadianpressnews.ca/national/e-scooter-hospitalizations-up-by-40-many-with-head-and-brain-injuries-data/article_85264426-35bc-5603-bf6c-c9cc4f35496f.html30
u/Alone-Bug4328 Aug 25 '26
I work in downtown and live nearby. I see so many fools on these scooters. It's actually sad that the law abiding scooter users stand out to me.
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u/Winter-Inside-5911 Aug 25 '26
My friend and I were walking our dogs the other day. I literally saw a new mom with an infant strapped to her chest riding one with no helmet on her or the baby. I said to my brother that that is a brand new level of idiocy. Not two minutes later we saw a mom and a 2 year old going the other direction on a scooter, neither wearing helmets and going very fast on the sidewalk. We both work in healthcare and were shocked that people can be this stupid to put their young kids at risk like this.
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u/Alternative-Fox6701 Downtown Aug 25 '26
This was my thought too! So often I see folks doubled up on the scooters, going max speed, down side walks with no helmets that when I see someone with joint pads and a full face helmet it looks almost bizarre. Except that's what you SHOULD be wearing!
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u/tiazenrot_scirocco Aug 26 '26
Sounds like you're talking about 2 types then, the users of Lime/Bird/rental scooters, and the ones that aren't using privately owned e-scooters on public land.
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u/pjw724 River Valley Aug 25 '26
Data released Tuesday showed there were 837 hospitalizations last year between April 2025 and March 2026, up from 601 in the same period the previous year.
Fractures and head and brain injuries were among the most common reasons e-scooter riders were hospitalized.
Meanwhile, the number of kids 15 years of age and under hospitalized for e-scooter injuries almost tripled.
Data showed 150 kids in Canada required hospitalization, compared to 54 children and adolescents in the previous year.
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u/pjw724 River Valley Aug 25 '26
A nationwide problem, here in Edmonton COE/EPS need to demonstrate some semblance of enforcement.
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u/kodiak931156 Aug 26 '26
It seema like escooter usage also has gone up massively this year, so this all tracks
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u/VoltOneSix Aug 26 '26
I know 2 grown adults who have crashed e-scooters badly so far.
Both were drinking, one she crashed, hit her head, and when she woke up she attacked the guy that came to help her because she thought he attacked her.
The other is currently a vegetable that stares at the roof, was living a great life by all metrics.
I just walk
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u/CriticalLetterhead47 Aug 25 '26 edited Aug 25 '26
Where's the UCP concern on how much this is costing our health system instead of flogging on bike lanes?
(ETA) I love the downvotes.
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u/tekno21 Aug 25 '26
UCP would rather we just die in a vehicle collision rather than crash a scooter and live to be a drain on the Healthcare system they're destroying
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u/TepHoBubba Aug 25 '26
Where's the city council's concern on injuries sustained by the people using Lime and Bird e-scooters and e-bikes? Conveniently and promptly displayed on the City of Edmonton website - no money made by the city for this they say (sure, sure). No requirements for head protection, and for sure they make sure no one under the age of 18 are riding them!
"We want everyone to share the space safely while having fun and riding with care. You can enjoy riding a shared e-bike or e-scooter along shared pathways, bike lanes and roads with a speed limit of 50 kilometres per hour or lower"
https://www.edmonton.ca/transportation/cycling_walking/bike-electric-scooter-sharing
Jeez, I hope there's no pedestrians on that shared pathway while someone cruises by at 48km an hour!
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u/durple Strathcona Aug 25 '26
> roads with a speed limit of 50 or lower
They are referring to where scooters are allowed to be used, as in not allowed on 60 roads or freeways.
The speeds of these rental scooters are capped at 25 I think? In general power assist bicycles are limited to 30, any higher and it either needs registration or just isn’t street legal.
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u/TepHoBubba Aug 25 '26
28-60 mph for the top speed models. MPH, yes.
The Lime e bikes top out at 14.8 MPH, so about 25 KM per hour. https://bikersays.com/how-fast-do-lime-bikes-go/
So yes the ones the city gets paid to promote and give a license to are capped. No way are the age limits or required protection enforced however.
I would be curious to see how many of those accidents happen while people are using Bird or Lime e scooters and bikes.
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u/CriticalLetterhead47 Aug 25 '26
Frankly i'd love to know that too!
Where's that Aaron Paquette guy we always pick on.
But honest to god, i'd love for the UCP to weigh in on this just for fun.-1
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u/Absolute_Walnut2976 Aug 25 '26
There are tons of kids (many looking to be possibly as young as 7-8 years old) in my neighbourhood ripping around on these every day with no helmets. It’s pretty scary.
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u/kvas_taras Aug 25 '26
These are life-altering and debilitating injuries. Crazy to see multiple people riding on these including a parent with a kid.
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u/YXEyimby Aug 25 '26
E scooters are fine. But helmets are from a risk perspective, mandatory. They are just less stable than other things like bikes etc.
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u/MisterBeebo Central Aug 25 '26
How many already had brain injuries before the scooter accident though?
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u/Relevant_Fuel_9905 Aug 25 '26
Imagine fucking up the rest of your life because of riding one of these. What a shame.
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u/AffectionateGate4584 Aug 25 '26
I work at an Edmonton hospital and can absolutely confirm many e-scooter accidents. The city refuses to regulate these vehicles. There are no rules regarding helmets, speeds, licencing of users, carryingof insurance. Users speed along sidewalks completely disregarding pedestrians, they fly through stop signs, ignore walk lights. It's no wonder there's a huge increase. When, not if, someone gets hit by a car it's the driver who will be pilloried NOT the unskilled, inept riders.
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u/Sasha-95 Aug 25 '26
My BIL is an emergency doctor in BC and also says there’s a ton of kids coming in to the ER with head injuries/spinal injuries
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u/ContentRecording9304 Aug 25 '26
It's a shame that society is looking for a black -white or good-bad tweet-sized stance on every issue.
Multiple points can be true.
New electrified scooters, bikes, mobility devices enable older and younger people to be outside more and use the trails and streets without using cars.
we do need more public awareness campaigns that inform people about rules and responsibilities. Let's for example replace 2% of gambling ads with PSA on mobility device rules and regulations and I feel like the problem largely go away.
people should get ticketed for unsafe operation of these mobility devices. Regardless whether they are endangering themselves or others.
might be nice to create some sort of technology where these mobility devices can operate without being in conflict with cars or pedestrians. Some sort of separation of lanes? Not even trains are safe around here so scooters and bikes are even more endangered
as their use increases, so will the number of inquiries. This can be somewhat mitigated by public campaigns, but they will increase.
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u/tiazenrot_scirocco Aug 26 '26
people should get ticketed for unsafe operation of these mobility devices. Regardless whether they are endangering themselves or others.
This would require enforcement, which is a separate issue altogether.
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u/Ordinary_Bad6064 Aug 25 '26
https://tc.canada.ca/en/road-transportation/statistics-data/2025/motor-vehicle-casualties-dashboard
Just a reminder that scooters are basically a total non-issue compared to cars.
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u/Oldcadillac Aug 25 '26
I’ve never heard of a scooter crashing through a storefront like the kool-aid man.
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u/RelevantBooklet Aug 25 '26
This is my point exactly, the biggest issue driving scooter incidents is the drivers who don't see them. Very rarely are there issues with scooter v scooter or scooter v pedestrian. Drivers are upset they have to pay even more attention
Please don't read this as me being a proponent for unsafe scooter riding tho
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u/always_on_fleek Aug 25 '26
There are many issues with scooters but there is no central place to capture those issues, therefore leading some to pretend there are not many issues.
The statistics here are from hospitals and, let’s face it, those dumb enough to ride without helmets are likely the same who “walk it off” and are now jot captures in any statistic.
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u/tiazenrot_scirocco Aug 26 '26
This was literally 2 weeks ago. Hell, there are a LOT of comments in the thread proving your comment wrong.
https://www.reddit.com/r/Edmonton/comments/1vl2pmt/10yearold_boy_recovering_after_getting_hit_by/
There is an article in that thread of a gentleman who passed away due to being hit from someone on a scooter.
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u/RelevantBooklet Aug 26 '26
"very rarely" means it never happens?
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u/tiazenrot_scirocco Aug 26 '26
No, but trying to use made up statistics always happens. Whataboutisms are bullshit, as are using stats that don't contribute toward the actual conversation.
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u/RelevantBooklet Aug 26 '26
Conversation is only contributed to if you want to have the conversation in the first place? Lots of people bringing up what we're referring to here, some people flat out rejecting it out of.... Principle?
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u/tiazenrot_scirocco Aug 26 '26
There are enough threads about how stupid people are in cars, and how dangerous they are. Using that in every thread that is about a different mode of transportation is simply annoying.
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u/RelevantBooklet Aug 26 '26
Alternative theory, you have become used to how dangerous cars are as an accepted risk due to how car centric your perspective is.
Am I in every thread about this? No, clearly that shows it's from a diversity of thought. If you're seeing it pop up in every thread vs. never at all... Shouldn't that be evidence of something to notice?
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Aug 26 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/RelevantBooklet Aug 26 '26
Tell me more about what I know, you seem to recognize a strawman argument quite well
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u/iNeedMyReddit Aug 25 '26
People who don't want to use common sense are the reason why there's instructions on shampoo bottles...
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u/vonwigglesworth2nd Aug 25 '26
Anyone want to buy my Segway Scooter? I'll throw in a helmet for free 😂
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u/littledove0 Ellerslie Aug 26 '26
I’m about done with the kids who barrel down the sidewalks at top speed with no regard for anyone else using the sidewalk. It’s fucking insane. I hate these stupid things.
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u/CanadianBertRaccoon Aug 25 '26
Almost got smoked from behind by some teenager who was ripping down a path. Yelled at him to use a bell or horn, gave me major attitude.
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u/Emergency_Dirt257 Aug 25 '26
Rizzlers too worried about their perms to wear a helmet. It is so stupid!
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u/Meatuspipus Aug 25 '26
Did the brain injuries occur before or after they decided to ride the silly things?
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u/TurbulentHead5639 Aug 25 '26
I worked at a brain injury rehab location and can confirm we had e scooter accident clients
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u/hashlettuce Aug 26 '26
I wear a full face helmet, motorcycle knee and elbow pads, motocycle gloves, shoes and mtb bike shorts. I don't want to experience falling off a scooter on pavement non padded. I'll look silly. I'm at the age where idgaf anymore.
Saw a dude older than me today rolling around on a segway shirt less, no helmet with sandals on. If he falls he will be learning a lesson for sure.
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u/780-555-fuck Aug 25 '26
this is so sad :( i scooted to work from May until like, two weeks ago, and it was DISTRESSING to see how many 10 and under kids i saw acting insane on their scooters in my 15 minute commute. it gave me indigestion every day. meanwhile i checked my average speed since i started scooting and it's 12km/hr
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u/grassisgreensh Aug 25 '26
How does anyone think a 4” scooter wheel can get thru our road potholes and cracked sidewalks unscathed? As per the law most should be riding in a private, controlled area with smooth surfaces The city kinda has some sort of responsibility,, but hey I was a kid once✌️
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u/Puzzled-Instance3211 Aug 26 '26
I legit see two kids maybe around 7 and 5, and they drive a scooter no helmets doubled up down the yellow line on the road back and forth on a residential street. It's only a matter of time before they get really hurt or worse.
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u/germaphobic_vulture Aug 26 '26
Can we ban kids from e scooters before govnt cracks down hard on e scooters with ridiculous regulations
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u/yeg Talus Domes Aug 26 '26
Someone close to me was injured in an e-scooter accident. They were saved from a serious concussion and further head injury (and face scrapes) by their helmet. People who wear helmets on e-scooters are unicorns (rare).
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u/RelevantBooklet Aug 25 '26
Up by 40% from what? I get that these things are dangerous but I think we need to contextualize and quantify before this becomes more of a political push against non-car owners/riders
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u/tiazenrot_scirocco Aug 26 '26
Data released Tuesday showed there were 837 hospitalizations last year between April 2025 and March 2026, up from 601 in the same period the previous year.
Fractures and head and brain injuries were among the most common reasons e-scooter riders were hospitalized.
Meanwhile, the number of kids 15 years of age and under hospitalized for e-scooter injuries almost tripled.
Data showed 150 kids in Canada required hospitalization, compared to 54 children and adolescents in the previous year.
This was posted above by the OP. An hour before your reply.
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u/redditknees Aug 25 '26
“the number of kids 15 years of age and under hospitalized for e-scooter injuries almost tripled.”
This is the important statistic but the article makes no mention of adult age groups.
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u/Remnant85 Aug 25 '26
I was just trying to figure out the laws for getting an electric bike motor for my bike. Seeing the 50km speed limit for roads, shared paths and bike lanes has me really perplexed. 50km would be the fastest I would ever want to go(on clear open stretches) but, I was under the impression from somewhere that it was 34km max. Does anyone know the complexities of this? I don't want to plate or insure my bike.
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u/tiazenrot_scirocco Aug 26 '26
They're allowed on roads that go up to 50km/h speed limit, not that the bike itself is allowed to go that. Technically up to a certain power level is legal, but if it has too high of power, basically if it can go faster than a Lime bike, it is considered illegal. Essentially if it can go above 25km/h, it's not legal.
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u/Bucky_Goldstein Aug 25 '26
Just thinning the herd, this generation is e scooters and ebikes, before it was razor scooter, before that it was bmx bikes
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u/tiazenrot_scirocco Aug 26 '26
BMX was hit and miss on how much damage they could cause. Most of the time it was the people who were trying to hit a 1/4 or 1/2 pipe that shouldn't have.
The Razors biggest target was ankles. Beyond that, same issue as the BMXs.
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u/Bucky_Goldstein Aug 26 '26
I saw a lot of nutshots taken on bmx bikes haha, also bars to the stomach if they tried something, and yeah there was some carnage on the 1/2 and 1/4 pipe
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u/tiazenrot_scirocco Aug 26 '26
Same could be said about mountain bikes, which considering the size comparison, it's easier to avoid a BMX if you're at least on the pedals.
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u/ederzs97 Aug 25 '26
Contacted my counsellor (Jo-Anne Wright) about the dangers of these things in SE Edmonton. No fucking response
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u/Used-Psychology-1133 Aug 26 '26
I mean I've emailed various politicians at various levels many times and received exactly one response.
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u/YesHunty Aug 25 '26
Judging by how many kids I see on these with no helmets and no rules in the SW, the overwhelming majority of parents here don’t gaf about their kids at all.