Almost half of parents in Newcastle have admitted to allowing their children to go without helmets when riding e-scooters.
A new survey, commissioned by solicitors Hodge Jones & Allen, looked at safety data relating to private e-scooters across 15 major cities across the UK, and revealed some surprising results.
The study of 2000 parents found that one in four adults had bought a e-scooter for their children, but child safety campaigners are concerned parents are unaware of all the legal and safety risks involved with using the vehicles.
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75% of parents were happy to allow their child to use their e-scooters in the road, despite the private vehicles being illegal to use anywhere expect on private land.
Safety risks are highest in Newcastle, where 45% of parents stated they allow their child to use an e-scooter without a helmet, followed by Manchester (43%) and Birmingham (42%).
Over a third of parents (38%) don’t ensure their child is wearing a helmet when riding an e-scooter and nearly half of parents (47%) with a child under five are happy to see them ride without a helmet.
Parents in Bristol were shown to be the most safety conscious in the study, yet with one in five parents there still not insisting their child wears a helmet, the risk of serious injury still exists.
Only 15% of parents confessed that they ensure their children stay under 10MPH when riding an e-scooter, a worrying resulting considering some popular brands of private e-scooter can reach speeds of up to 30MPH.
The latest government data indicated in 2020 there were 484 casualties in accidents involving e-scooters, 384 of these were the e-scooter users themselves.
Lisa Turan, Chief Executive of the Child Brain Injury Trust, explains the dangers of allowing children to use e-scooters, especially without sufficient safety equipment.
“I would urge parents to exercise caution if thinking about purchasing an e-scooter for their children," said Lisa. "Even when used on private land, the danger of a fall at speeds of up to 30mph could lead to serious head injuries, especially when a helmet isn’t worn.
“Allowing a child to use these machines without a protective helmet is putting children at undue risk. The majority of accidents might not be serious, and for the most part, a trip to the hospital won’t be needed.
"For some families however, the incident is significant enough to warrant medical attention. In England, about 35,000 children each year sustain a traumatic brain injury, and the vast majority of these are considered ‘mild’.
“Head injuries that affect the brain can be categorised as mild, moderate, or severe, with most brain injuries falling under mild – moderate. After a brain injury, children can go on to have life changing difficulties with memory, fatigue, behaviour, sleep, and cognition, affecting education, work, and relationships, and can lead to the development of poor mental health if left unsupported.
"It is concerning that although wearing a safety helmet is a legal requirement for moped and motorcycle riders, it is not a legal requirement for e-scooter users, yet e-scooters fall under the same laws as other motor vehicles.
“Part of the problem is that these difficulties with thought processes, memory and emotions can be harder to recognize, and so it might be a while before anyone even realises that there is a problem. And in children, because the brain is still developing, it may take a bit of time, sometimes even years, for difficulties to show.
"For example, it may only be when a child moves into secondary school, where independent planning and thinking skills become more important, that we see the full effects of an injury.
“The Child Brain Injury Trust would strongly recommend a full and thorough assessment of the safety risks of all e-scooter use, and the introduction of mandatory helmet wearing for e-scooter users.”
Leticia Williams, Partner, Head of Personal Injury Team at Hodge Jones & Allen said: "Whilst the law is clear on limiting the use of E-scooters anywhere except on private land, the findings of our study highlight that many parents are still happy to purchase them for their children.
“Only E-scooters hired through official pilot schemes are legal to use in public areas, yet sales figures show that private sales continue to grow. To hire a rental E-scooter you must hold a provisional driving licence, which means you need to be 15 years 9 months old.
"While there is no age limit on private use, the hire age really does imply that small, young children should not be on these as the risk of injury is high.
“It is even more concerning to see the proportion of parents who are allowing their children to use these high-speed machines without the correct safety equipment. A brain injury, whether severe or mild can have a lasting impact on a child’s development.
“My warning to parents is to take care and fully investigate the legal and safety risks before allowing their child to use an e-scooter.”
For further information on the research visit here.
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