With the increasing prevalence of e-scooters in Canada, medical professionals are expressing concerns about a surge in injuries, particularly among young individuals, as regulations struggle to keep up.
Dr. Daniel Rosenfield, a pediatric emergency physician at SickKids hospital in Toronto and chair of the injury prevention committee for the Canadian Pediatric Society (CPS), has witnessed a significant escalation in various e-scooter-related injuries, ranging from minor cuts to severe brain trauma and fatalities.
Rosenfield noted a substantial increase in e-scooter injury cases at SickKids, from 26 in 2023 to 46 in 2024 and 107 in 2025, with a projection for even higher numbers this year.
A survey of Canadian doctors suggests severe injuries and deaths are rising among kids and teens who ride e-scooters. Doctors warn that e-scooters are ‘anything but toys,’ and that too many young people are riding at high speeds without helmets.
At the Montreal Children’s Hospital, Dr. Laurie Plotnick, leading the emergency trauma team, reported a tenfold increase in e-scooter injuries since 2023. The injuries among children not involving other vehicles included severe facial trauma, broken jaws, and eye socket fractures.
A CPS survey revealed concerning statistics, documenting 10 deaths, 12 ICU admissions, and 26 hospitalizations lasting over two days due to e-scooter accidents in the previous year, with head injuries present in half of the cases.
The majority of these incidents involved individuals without helmets, and the most severe injuries typically affected boys aged 10 to 15.
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While the CPS survey provides insights from pediatric specialists rather than quantitative analysis, a recent study
