B.C. school districts crack down on e-scooters, e-bikes as emergency room visits grow

British Columbia school districts are implementing bans on electric scooters and e-bikes as emergency room visits increase among underage riders. The Langley School District and the Nanaimo-Ladysmith school district have prohibited these devices on school grounds due to a rise in injuries among child and youth riders. Dr. Genevieve Ernst, trauma medical director at BC Children’s Hospital, reports a significant surge in emergency room visits and severe brain injuries resulting from e-scooter crashes.

Despite the law requiring riders to be at least 14 for e-bikes and 16 for scooters, data from the Canadian Hospital Injury Reporting and Prevention Surveillance Program indicates that the majority of emergency room visits for e-scooter crashes involve children aged 13 and 15.