A teenager is in hospital with life-threatening injuries after falling from an electric skateboard in Adelaide's southern suburbs.
The boy was knocked unconscious when he fell from the e-skateboard at speed and hit his head on the bitumen at the Esplanade at Seaford last night.
The 15-year-old Seaford boy was taken by ambulance to the Flinders Medical Centre with life-threatening head injuries.
Police do not believe the teen was wearing a helmet.
Police said an investigation was underway to determine what, if any, charges will be laid.
What are the rules around electric skateboards and scooters?
It is illegal in South Australia to ride electric recreational devices such as e-skateboards on public roads, car parks, bike tracks or footpaths.
Although widely available for sale, they are only allowed to be used on private property.
These types of devices, which also includes segways and electric hoverboards, are considered motor vehicles under SA legislation, but do not meet safety standards so cannot be registered.
The same rules apply for recreational electric scooters, except for in four council areas where trials are ongoing: Adelaide and North Adelaide, along the Coastal Park Trail, within the City of Norwood, Payneham and St Peters and the City of Unley.
There are laws around the use of these types of scooters — with penalties of up to $2,500 for non-compliance — including that riders must be over 18 and must wear a helmet.
Riders can also only use e-scooters on a footpath except when crossing a road or avoiding an obstruction.
Privately owned e-scooters can only be used on private property, and people caught using an unapproved device can be fined for driving an unregistered and unlicensed vehicle.
Greens MLC Robert Simms, who chairs a parliamentary committee on Public and Active Transport, said there was some confusion in the community around e-rideable laws given it was possible to purchase and hire them, but not ride personal ones in public.
"I think there is a lot of confusion in terms of the regulation of e-scooters," he said.
Mr Simms said there was the potential to make e-rideable laws safer, as community members often raised concerns about their use on footpaths.
"We've certainly seen this technology develop in a way that's often ahead of the law," he said.
"It could be potentially that we look at a model where people can purchase them on an individual basis, but that there's much stricter regulation in terms of requirements for training to improve safety."
He said the committee would prepare recommendations on potential changes by the end of the year.
