Splatt Lawyers backs Queensland's new e-scooter and e-bike safety laws

Splatt Lawyers’ Accident Compensation team says Queensland’s new e-scooter and e-bike rules, taking effect July 1, 2026, should curb rising injuries and deaths tied to personal mobility devices. The reforms add age, licensing, speed and alcohol limits as hospitals report more serious crashes across the state. Why it matters: - Queensland is responding to a sharp rise in serious e-scooter and e-bike injuries as personal mobility devices become more common across the state. - The new rules are meant to improve safety for riders, pedestrians and other road users. - Hospitals are treating more people every day for serious e-mobility injuries, and fatalities have also been recorded. What happened: - Queensland will introduce new e-bike and e-scooter laws on 1 July 2026. - Splatt Lawyers’ Accident Compensation team welcomed the reforms. - The changes apply across Queensland, including Brisbane, the Gold Coast and the Sunshine Coast. - The laws add restrictions on who can ride, how fast they can travel and how police can enforce the rules. The details: - Approximately 2,000 Queenslanders suffered serious e-mobility injuries during 2025, up from 1,626 in 2024 and 1,380 in 2023. - The injury total represents a 45% increase over two years. - Queensland hospitals now treat an average of more than five people every day for serious e-scooter and e-bike injuries. - Around 39% of injuries involve fractures, including broken wrists, arms, legs and collarbones. - About 50% of patients present with head, face or neck injuries. - More than one in five injured riders requires hospital admission. - Young adults aged 18 to 39 account for most injury presentations. - Eight people died in e-scooter-related incidents in 2025. - Children under 16 are banned from riding e-mobility devices on public paths and roads. - All riders must hold at least a valid driver’s licence, such as a learner’s permit or higher. - Speed on shared paths, separated paths and bicycle lanes is capped at 25 km/h. - Random breath testing applies to e-scooter and e-bike riders, with a 0.05 BAC limit. - Police can seize and destroy illegal, non-compliant or modified devices. - Parents and guardians can be fined if minors ride illegally. - Modifying e-scooters or e-bikes to exceed 25 km/h is prohibited. - Helmet offences or carrying passengers double to $518. - Riding on a prohibited road or careless riding is fined at $518. - Speeding fines range from $345 to $1,986, depending on speed. - Drink riding fines range from $518 to $6,908. - Underage or unlicensed riding can result in a $518 fine for the rider and/or parents. - Splatt Lawyers principal and accredited specialist in personal injury law Kerry Splatt said the reforms are an important step toward improving public safety while recognising e-scooters and e-bikes are now a permanent part of Queensland’s transport network. - Kerry Splatt said riders at 25 kilometres per hour without adequate protection can suffer the same serious injuries seen in bicycle and motorcycle accidents. - Kerry Splatt said the firm regularly sees fractured limbs, spinal injuries, traumatic brain injuries and significant facial injuries from e-scooter and e-bike crashes. Between the lines: - The injury data suggests Queensland has moved from a convenience and transport conversation to a public-safety problem with measurable hospital and fatality costs. - The laws focus on deterrence, with tougher penalties and expanded police powers aimed at illegal devices, speeding and impaired riding. - Kerry Splatt’s comments frame the issue as both a regulatory and education challenge, not just an enforcement problem. - The reforms also signal that state officials are treating e-mobility devices as a lasting part of transport policy rather than a temporary trend. What’s next: - Riders will need to comply with the new age, licence, speed and alcohol rules once the laws take effect on 1 July 2026. - Police are expected to use broader powers to target dangerous and illegal riding. - Splatt Lawyers says public awareness and rider education will remain important to reducing preventable injuries. - Queensland authorities will likely be judged on whether the new rules reduce hospital presentations and serious crashes over time. The bottom line: - Queensland is tightening e-scooter and e-bike rules because injury numbers, admissions and deaths have climbed fast, and officials want safer riding before the devices become even more embedded in daily travel.