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

Dr. Genevieve Ernst, trauma medical director at BC Children’s Hospital, said the hospital has seen a steep rise in both emergency room visits and devastating brain injuries for child patients as the result of e-scooter crashes.

By law, light e-bike riders must be at least 14-years-old and e-bike or scooter riders must be 16.

But figures from the Canadian Hospital Injury Reporting and Prevention Surveillance Program show 13-year-old children made up the highest proportion of emergency room visits for e-scooter crashes at 22 per cent.

There were 81 visits to the BC Children Hospital emergency department between April 2025 and 2026 related to e-scooter use, more than double those of the previous year. Most were a result of falling off the scooter.

Ernst said e-scooters are the culprit in the most severe injuries among the hospital’s patients involved in e-bike or scooter crashes.

She said common injuries include fractures, road rash, scrapes and head injuries. More than half of those seriously injured were not wearing helmets.

“So what you can see is long-term stays at the hospital, need for critical-care surgery, and then more long-term issues with development and learning.”

Resha Sabti, a parent from Langley, B.C., said her 12-year-old twins asked for e-scooters for their birthday last year, and it was upon researching the devices that she learned riders must be at least 16.

Sabti said she has since had a close call with scooters, almost hitting two young girls as they rode downhill in the rain while wearing dark clothing. The girls were not wearing helmets, she added.

The Langley School District serves students in both the Township of Langley, where e-scooters are permitted as part of a provincial pilot project, and Langley City, where they are not.

Eleven communities in B.C.’s Metro Vancouver and Fraser Valley regions allow e-scooters as part of the four-year pilot.

Riders can’t ride on crosswalks, double up on the scooters or ride without a helmet — rules that Sabti said she’s seen broken frequently.

The fine for breaking e-scooter rules is $109, while the fine for riding without a helmet is $29.

Other cities, such as Surrey, have banned e-scooters from public property, a prohibition that extends to school properties.

Sabti, who is running for a seat on the Township of Langley council, said she’s brought her concerns about the devices to local officials and the school district because people are confused about where the rules apply.

Though she said she sympathizes with the need for options among youth who may lack accessible transportation, she also understood the need for a school ban.

“I don’t think we should wait until a child’s death,” she said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 4, 2026.

Marissa Birnie, The Canadian Press

by The Canadian Press

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

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