A new report from the Canadian Paediatric Surveillance Program reveals a spike in serious injuries and fatalities among children using e-scooters and e-bikes. in 2025, ten young lives were lost across the country due to these high-speed devices.
A surge from 1 to 107 cases at SickKids
Dr. Daniel Rosenfield, a paediatric emergency physician at Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children, has witnessed a staggering increase in micromobility-related trauma. According to the report, the number of patients arriving at the SickKids emergency department with scooter injuries rose from a single case in 2020 to 107 in 2025. this rapid escalation is largely attributed to the high speeds these devices can reach, sometimes hititng 45 kilometres per hour.
The medical consequences of these high-speed collisions are severe. Dr. Rosenfield noted that nearly 50 per cent of these cases involve head trauma, including brain bleeds , skull fractures,or concussions. Consequently, neurosurgery has become the most frequent type of surgical intervention required for these young patients at the Toronto facility.
Quebec's 14-year-old threshold and the Montreal injury spike
In Quebec, current pilot programs allow children as young as 14 to operate e-scooters at speeds of 25 kilometres per hour. This policy has coincided with a massive increase in trauma, with the province's trauma center reporting a ten-fold rise in related injuries since the pilot began in 2023. Dr. Deborah Friedman, the trauma director at Montreal Children's Hospital, observed that nearly 60 per cent of children treated for these injuries were under the age of 14.
Dr. Friedman has specifically highlighted widespread helmet non-compliance as a primary driver of these injuries. She is now advocating for stricter enforcement of helmet laws and raising the minimum riding age to 16 to protect the province's youngest riders.
The 57 severe incidents identified by the CPSP
The Canadian Paediatric Surveillance Program, working alongside the Public Health Agency of Canada and the Canadian Paediatric Society, released data detailing a grim reality for young riders. The study, which synthesized responses from 800 physicians nationwide, recorded 10 child deaths and 57 severe cases involving e-scooters and e-bikes in 2025. These severe cases include 12 children admitted to intensive care units and 26 requiring hospital stays exceeding two days.
This trend is part of a broader upward trajectory in micromobility accidents. As reported by the study, earlier data from the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) showed that hospitalisations involving e-scooter use rose from 33 in the 2022-2023 period to 53 in the following year, signaling that the problem is accelerating across the country.
The regulatory gap between Brampton and Toronto
A major challenge highlighted by the findings is the lack of uniform safety laws across Canadian jurisdictions. While cities like Brampton and Mississauga in Ontario permit 16-year-olds to ride at 24 kilometres per hour, Toronto maintains a prohibition on private e-scooters on public roads, sidewalks, or park trails. This creates a confusing landscape for families and riders navigating different municipal rules.
The inconsistency extends to Western Canada as well. In Alberta, the rules vary significantly by municipality; while Edmonton and Calgary permit the use of rented units on city paths, privately owned scooters remain prohibited on both roads and sidewalks. this patchwork of rules makes it difficult to implement a cohesive national safety standard.
Why 80 per cent of victims fall below the age limit
Despite most jurisdictions setting a minimum riding age of 16, the CPSP report indicates that nearly 80 per cent of all incidents involve children younger than that threshold. This discrepancy raises critical questions about how effectively age restrictions are being enforced on the ground. It also leaves unanswered whether current provincial regulations are even capable of addressing the risks posed by devices capable of 45 km/h speeds.
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