This isn’t a sad blog post or one that requires pity. This is one written out of frustration of a growing problem I didn’t know about until it quite literally hit me.
I captured this video about 25 minutes after the incident. I’d spoken with the Police and was awaiting for an adult to arrive on the scene.
It’s not a dramatic story. And the kid was not injured, thank our lucky stars.
I had picked the twins up from childcare and was driving out of the driveway. There was a large bush to my right. The nose of my car passed the footpath threshold.
And he just appeared – a 15-year-old riding an e-scooter at speed. I was already braking as I neared the end of the driveway. He tried to take evasive action, but his scooter crunched into the right side of my car.
E-scooters have saturated the Australian market and are attractively targeted at our youth. Gosh, that sentence makes me sound old.
I personally enjoy using e-scooters, especially around cities when I need to get somewhere quickly. They’re also cost-efficient and some are even environmentally friendly.
“What’s worrying is 65% of all riders said they were wearing a helmet which suggests standard helmets are not always protecting against facial injuries”
Dr Michael Kane, Head of Public Policy RACQ
But I hold a driving license. I know the main road rules and how to keep myself and others as safe as possible.
Many kids operating e-scooters are too young to hold a license, to know when to give way to other road users, and the speeds of these ‘toys’ are pretty crazy for road use with a generic helmet.
According to the RACQ, in 2024, eight people were killed while using an e-scooter.
I don’t want to see e-scooters banned; however, I’d like to see better regulations implemented to keep everyone safe. We need national rules—not just local laws, because this is happening everywhere.
I’m not mad at the kid. We were both shaken, and I’m certain he feared more of what his mum would say. I don’t discount that he wore a helmet and rode on the footpath; he was doing the right thing. My concern at the time was for his health and for my kids, who witnessed this. He travelled fast, well over 20km/h and had not planned to stop or slow down when reaching the driveway. Even his mate said when he arrived on the scene, “I told you…” I also recognise that I can do more as the driver and slow down even more upon reaching a driveway.
Now, I’m thinking about how the situation could have been worse, if not catastrophic.
My concerns that followed were the repercussions for him. What if he developed an injury later? What if my kids are scarred by this? What has become of my confidence on the road as a driver? I wasn’t concerned about the property. However, there are a lot of unknowns.
The lesson here? As drivers, we need to be more mindful than ever. We are sharing the road with kids as pedestrians, kids inside the car causing all sorts of distractions, and now, we’re sharing the road with kids riding powered vehicles unlicensed. Go figure.
In the spirit of reconciliation, Her Second Shift acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today
In Ireland it was made illegal for anyone under 16 to ride an e-scooter last year. Might be something for Australia to consider
This is very interesting to read
In the UK you still need insurance to drive an electric scooter and shouldn’t be riding them on a “footpath” due to the speed they travel at and risk of injury to pedestrians
I totally agree with this