Emergency department figures gathered this summer in Halifax are fuelling calls from a paediatric trauma specialist to raise the minimum riding age for electric scooters and e-bikes — potentially above the province’s current limit of 14.
Rapidly rising harm among young riders
Dr. Kirstin Weerdenburg, a paediatric emergency physician and trauma team leader at the IWK Health Centre, has been collecting local data on injuries tied to electric scooters and e-bikes since late May. Her preliminary numbers cover patients seen across the Halifax Regional Municipality and indicate a worrying pattern: of 80 patients identified, 66 were under the age of 16, and one-quarter of all cases required activation of a trauma team.
Key figures from the IWK data are laid out below:
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Total patients | 80 |
| Patients under 16 | 66 |
| Trauma team activations | 20 |
| Median age | 13 years |
| Youngest patient | 8 years |
Doctor urges a higher age threshold
“That’s quite high,” Dr. Weerdenburg told CBC when describing the rate of trauma activations. She said the statistics suggest the injuries are often severe and that authorities should be concerned about the speeds and capabilities of these devices.
“I think that … speaks to the severity of the types of injuries we're seeing and how we should be more concerned about these devices, the speeds that they're going.”
Nova Scotia already prohibits children under 14 from riding e-scooters and set a maximum speed of 32 kilometres per hour for those devices in 2022. The provincial government has indicated it will move this fall to ban children under 14 from riding electric bicycles as well. Some other Canadian jurisdictions have set the minimum riding age at 16.
What the numbers mean for families and policymakers
Though Dr. Weerdenburg’s findings are preliminary and based on a single summer’s surveillance, they demonstrate important points for parents, municipal planners and provincial officials:
- Young riders are over‑represented in these injury reports, with the median age 13 and many cases involving children.
- Injury severity can be high: one in four patients required trauma-team level care, indicating significant harm rather than only minor cuts and bruises.
- Regulatory gaps remain: provincial measures introduced for e‑scooters don’t fully cover e-bikes, and other jurisdictions’ higher age limits offer alternative approaches.
Parents and guardians should take note: helmet use, adult supervision and strict limits on where young people ride can reduce risk, while policymakers weigh whether existing rules adequately mitigate harm from faster, heavier electric devices.
Questions for further study
Dr. Weerdenburg’s collection of hospital data opens avenues for more detailed analysis: the breakdown of injuries by device type (e-scooter versus e-bike), helmet use at the time of injury, whether riders were operating on roads or sidewalks, and the involvement of other vehicles. Without that granularity, it is difficult to quantify how much raising the minimum riding age alone would reduce harm.
The seasonal nature of these injuries also matters. Summers bring more outdoor activity and a greater number of inexperienced riders on shared pathways and streets. Emergency departments in urban centres such as Halifax, with dense cycling and pedestrian networks, may see a disproportionate share of incidents.
Policy options on the table
Officials considering changes have a range of levers beyond age limits:
- Setting maximum speeds and power outputs for personal mobility devices;
- Mandating helmet and visibility gear for younger riders;
- Designating where such devices may operate — sidewalks, bike lanes or roads — depending on speed and weight;
- Launching education campaigns in schools and community centres about safe operation.
For now, Dr. Weerdenburg’s message is straightforward: the local hospital data show frequent and sometimes severe injuries among young riders, and the province should consider whether a higher minimum age — alongside other safety measures — would better protect children and reduce pressure on trauma services.
Municipal and provincial officials will face a choice this fall as they finalise e-bike rules: whether to align e-bike age restrictions with those already in place for e-scooters, or to go further and adopt the higher thresholds some other provinces have chosen.
(This report is based on preliminary data shared by the IWK and statements from Dr. Kirstin Weerdenburg.)
