Just a few days after Nova Scotia revealed a ban for children riding e-bikes, a new report shows just how dangerous they can be.
In 2022, the government originally revealed they would ban e-scooters for children under 14, and now they are adding e-bikes, as well. Public Works Minister Fred Tilley revealed the new ban last week.
That means children under that age are not allowed to ride e-scooters or e-bikes at all. However, they are allowed to ride regular bicycles and scooters.
And as part of the revised rules, children under 14 will be allowed to ride their regular bikes on the sidewalk, according to a spokesperson with the Department of Public Works.
But even more information is coming out and this time it is from the Canadian Paediatric Surveillance Program.
The group surveyed doctors across the country and created some of the first data quantifying e-bike and e-scooter injuries.
In total, 34 doctors replied and reported 57 cases. Of those, about 60 per cent were boys and 9 per cent girls, whereas the patients’ sex was not reported in 30 per cent of cases.
Most injuries happened to children aged between 10 and 15 years old at 42 per cent, followed by 5- to 9-year-olds at 18 per cent and 16- to 17-year-olds at 16 per cent. In 14 of the 57 cases, the patient’s age was not reported.
The most frequently injured body part was the head. About 44 per cent of cases reported wearing a helmet, and 56 per cent reported not wearing one.
In the study, they say data on e-scooter and e-bike injuries is scarce, and this research will help inform others to better understand the scope.
The new ban on e-bike use for children in Nova Scotia begins this fall.
