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A record number of e-scooter riders are ending up in Melbourne's intensive care units as people continue to ignore the road rules.
From high speed collisions to late-night crashes, the number of e-bike and e-scooter-related admissions at The Alfred Hospital's trauma centre has doubled from 24 last financial year to 49 this financial year.
There were only four admissions in 2019-2020, and just two in 2018-2019.
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Dr Jun Ban, who is a trauma surgeon at The Alfred Hospital, has said every one of those admissions was significant.
"Even though the numbers might seem small, for every one person admitted, it's life-changing for that one person and their loved ones," she said.
A man in his 50s suffered life-threatening injuries when he had a fall off an e-scooter while riding on a footpath in Docklands last month.
A year-long commercial trial of e-scooters being provided on Melbourne streets for the public's use began on February 1.
Ben Rossiter from Victoria Walks has said the rise in injuries is what his organisation expected would happen when the trial was started.
"It's what we feared. It's what we expected and it's really concerning," he said.
Rossiter has called for much stricter action to be taken against e-scooter riders caught breaking road rules.
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"We need a lot more enforcement, the infringements that have been issued are just the tip of the iceberg."
He said the e-scooter trial should be suspended if it could not be delivered safely.
In the seven months since the trial began, police have handed out 397 e-scooter infringements, including 106 for not wearing a helmet and 117 for riding on the footpath.
Victoria Police Inspector Justin Goldsmith has said e-scooter riders should know they have to comply with the road rules.
"It's entirely about personal responsibility," he said.
"There really isn't any excuse for not complying with the regulations."
Source: 9News
