CANBERRA, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- The number of Australians hospitalized with injuries sustained in incidents involving e-scooters has more than tripled since 2019, according to a government report.
The report released on Thursday by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) showed that there were 4,089 hospitalizations for falls involving powered scooters in 2024-25, up 216.7 percent from 1,291 in 2019-20.
It said that the population-wide hospitalization rate for falls involving powered scooters increased from 5.1 per 100,000 people to 14.9 per 100,000 people in the same period, while the hospitalization rate for falls involving non-powered scooters fell from 6.8 to 4.9 per 100,000 people.
According to the report, males accounted for 69 percent of hospitalizations for falls involving powered scooters. The increase in hospitalizations was largest among people aged 12-15, with the rate growing from 3.1 hospitalizations per 100,000 people in 2019-20 to 33.4 per 100,000 in 2024-25.
Among boys aged 12-15, the hospitalization rate was 54 per 100,000 compared to 12 per 100,000 for girls.
"While the data cannot tell us exactly how much of this change is due to increased use, it is consistent with the growing popularity of e-scooters in Australia over recent years," AIHW spokesperson Jacqueline Rek said in a media release.
The proportion of hospitalizations following e-scooter falls that involved fractured bones increased from 46 percent in 2015-16 to 58 percent in 2024-25.
The report noted that new hospital codes that were introduced in July will allow future data to distinguish between e-scooters, e-bikes and other mobility devices more clearly. ■
