admin From Vancouver’s west coast to Nova Scotia’s eastern shores, electric scooters are making their mark in Canadian cities, celebrated as a convenient and eco-friendly mode of transportation.
However, this surge in popularity comes with escalating safety concerns, as emergency room physicians highlight the risks associated with e-scooters due to a rise in related injuries.
“As emergency physicians across the country, we’re seeing incredible injuries from e-scooters,” stated Dr. Raghu Venugopal, an emergency physician based in Toronto.
“We’re needing to activate trauma teams, we’re needing different surgical specialists to come in and treat the multiple traumatic injuries. We’re seeing collarbones shattered needing surgery, we’re seeing six to seven rib fractures in healthy people, we’re seeing ankles destroyed, needing surgery. And we’re seeing internal bleeding in the brain.”
Venugopal emphasised the importance of wearing helmets and wrist guards and avoiding excessive speeds to ensure safety while riding. Unfortunately, many people disregard these precautions, with numerous injured patients riding their e-scooters at high speeds without helmets.
Electric scooters have become a familiar sight in Canadian cities, partly due to the rise of scooter-sharing programmes. Companies like Bird and Lime have established themselves in major cities such as Vancouver, Calgary, and Mississauga, Ontario, allowing residents to rent these vehicles by the hour.
Bird Canada, which launched in 2019, has expanded to 25 Canadian cities since then, a company spokesperson told Global News in an email on Wednesday.
“They are a safe, sustainable, and fun way to get from point A to point B without the need for a car,” the spokesperson said.
“Injuries as a proportion of rides has steadily decreased in Canada for some time. Study after study for the Canadian market by cities with programs have concluded they are at least as safe if not safer than traditional bicycles.”
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