British Columbia·CBC ExplainsWith the rise in electric scooter popularity also comes an increase in people being injured. Health officials in B.C. say parents should think twice before considering giving them to children as gifts this holiday season. E-scooter related injuries jumped a reported 61 per cent among Canadians, ages 5 to 17 years old Nick Logan · CBC News · Posted: Dec 09, 2025 8:27 PM EST | Last Updated: 5 hours agoListen to this articleEstimated 5 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by text-to-speech, a technology based on artificial intelligence.A person rides an electric kick scooter in Vancouver, British Columbia on Thursday, February 22, 2023. Recently, there has been a 61 per cent rise in e-scooter related injuries among children aged 5 to 17 years old and Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) warns parents that e-scooters aren’t toys and that there are risks for riders of all ages. (Ben Nelms/CBC)There are a lot of perks to hopping on an electric scooter and zipping off to wherever you want to go, but health officials in B.C. say that parents should think twice before considering giving them as gifts. Ahead of the holiday season, Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) is warning parents that e-scooters aren’t toys and that there are risks for riders of all ages.They have grown in popularity across the province in recent years, especially in cities that have partnered with the scooter sharing services that allow you to rent and go whenever you like. But with the rise in popularity also comes an increase in people being injured — including among those who are too young to legally be riding the battery-powered devices. “Many kids [who] are seeing their friends use these e-scooters, are asking their parents for them,” said VCH Medical Health Officer Ceinwen Pope. “I think there’s widespread lack of awareness in B.C. and among families about some of the rules and regulations to protect kids.”Here’s what people of all ages need to know about the rules for using e-scooters. Where can you use e-scooters in B.C.?You might be surprised to learn that it’s not legal to use e-scooters in every community across the province. Since April 2024, the provincial government has been carrying out a four-year pilot project to examine the use of what it refers to as electric kick scooters on public roads in 34 communities. Community by-laws may vary from place to place, but many locales follow similar rules to the ones set out by the province. Despite what you may have seen in your neighbourhood, you cannot ride them on sidewalks and crosswalks unless there is a signal, like the one you see when there is a painted bike lane traversing an intersection. In fact, the City of Vancouver states on its website that you’re supposed to walk e-scooters on sidewalks. WATCH | Are e-scooters taking over bike paths:Rise of e-mobility is changing bike pathsIf you’ve walked by a bike path, you might have noticed some changes in the last few years. Especially the rapid rise of e-bikes and e-scooters. As Pinki Wong reports, the change comes with some worries about safety for both riders and pedestrians.How old do you have to be? Under provincial rules, you must be at least 16-years-old to ride an e-scooter. Although that’s the same as the legal driving age, you don’t need a license or insurance to ride one.Pope cautions that e-scooters are heavier and move at faster speeds than non-motorized kick scooters, which means there’s a higher risk of injury especially for smaller and inexperienced riders.Pope told CBC News there has been a 61 per cent rise in e-scooter related injuries among children aged 5 to 17 years old. That’s according to a July report from the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI), that examined hospitalizations in one-year period between 2022 and 2023.”That’s likely to be an underestimate,” she said.She says there is limited data on the “true representation” of the types of e-scooter related injuries. She explains that health officials are particularly concerned about the risk of head injuries sustained from children falling off e-scooters and colliding with vehicles, but said there is an array of other injuries that could occur. WATCH | Health officials seeing more young people getting injured while riding e-scooters:Health officials warn against kids using e-scooters as injuries riseE-scooter injuries related to crashes are on the rise, parrticularly among youth and children, according to new Canadian health data. Officials say it’s more important than ever to follow safety precautions. Brandon Yau, a medical health officer with Vancouver Coastal Health, said that kids should not be riding the e-scooters at all, and people should ride under 25 km/h.What are some of the other rules you need to know?There are plenty of other rules you’re meant to follow when you’re of legal age to ride an e-scooter where they’re allowed to be used on public roads in the province. You are required to wear a helmet unless you have an exemption under Motor Vehicle Act’s Bicycle Safety Helmet Regulation. The maximum speed you’re allowed to go is 25 km/h — again, on roads or marked routes not on sidewalks. Although the provincial regulations states an e-scooter is only meant for one person, it doesn’t specifically state that its forbidden to have more than one rider. But some cities, such as Vancouver and Kelowna, prohibit having more than one rider per device.And, much like driving a car, it is forbidden to operate an e-scooter while under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Using a cellphone or other mobile device while riding is also against the law. Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim (left) and councillors Sarah Kirby-Yung and Mike Klassen ride Lime shared e-scooters in a protected bike lane on June 11, after announcing an expansion of the service in the city. (Ben Nelms/CBC)So what happens if you don’t follow the rules? The B.C. government’s website states that you may receive a $109 fine, have your device impounded or face other penalties of up to $2,000 if you don’t follow safety rules.But it’s unclear how often violators are being caught, let alone punished. In Vancouver, for example, police have “the authority to stop people who are violating the rules of the road,” but e-scooters are “not currently an enforcement priority,” Vancouver Police Dept. spokesperson Sgt. Steve Addison said an email to CBC News. WATCH | What’s are the fire concerns with e-scooter batteries:Serious fire risk warning issued for popular e-bike batteriesThe U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has issued a major safety warning for popular e-bike brand batteries that are also sold in Canada. As Troy Charles reports, the commission says the batteries are responsible for 31 reported fires and pose a risk of serious injury or death. ABOUT THE AUTHORNick Logan is a senior writer with CBC based in Vancouver. He is a multi-platform reporter and producer, with a particular focus on international news. You can reach out to him at nick.logan@cbc.ca.With files from Jei Zabanal, Amina Zafar and CBC News
E-scooters aren’t kids’ toys, say health officials, but what are the safety rules you should know?
