The Hidden Dangers of E-bikes: A Growing Concern for Australian Children
The thrill of a new bike, the freedom of the open road – these are familiar childhood experiences. However, a concerning trend is emerging across Australia, where the surge in popularity of high-powered electric bikes (e-bikes) is leading to children sustaining severe, and sometimes fatal, “hidden” injuries. Frontline medical professionals are sounding the alarm, urging for greater action to prevent these increasingly common and avoidable accidents.
Paediatric surgeon Dr Bhavesh Patel, working at the Queensland Children’s Hospital, has witnessed firsthand the escalating problem. He notes that the hospital’s emergency department sees its busiest periods on weekday afternoons, coinciding with the times children are leaving school and often involved in accidents with e-bikes and e-scooters.
“The average age of all of the children presenting to hospitals with injuries is 10,” Dr Patel stated. He highlights that the significant power of many e-bikes means that crashes can result in injuries that are not immediately visible. These “hidden” internal injuries require extensive diagnostic efforts and resources, presenting a stark contrast to the minor scrapes and bruises of traditional cycling mishaps. “These aren’t the minor injuries that we can just do a quick x-ray and give some pain relief and go home … they take time to diagnose. These are hidden injuries, so they do take a lot of time and resource, and they’re terrible injuries.”
A study examining hospital admissions at the Queensland Children’s Hospital revealed a concerning spike in e-scooter related injuries. Between 2021 and 2024, the number of admissions more than doubled, with young boys making up a significant three-quarters of these cases.
A Tragic Loss: The Story of Zeke Hondow
The devastating consequences of these incidents are tragically illustrated by the case of eight-year-old Zeke Hondow. Last year, on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, Zeke was involved in a fatal head-on collision while riding his e-bike. His mother, Kloe Weedon, recounted the heartbreaking experience, describing how her son, who had previously experienced minor tumbles from his regular bike, was tragically killed by an internal injury.
“He used to fall off his bike all the time, lots of cuts and bruises,” Ms Weedon said. “So it still feels like it’s not real, it’s still a nightmare in my eyes.” When her teenage daughter called to say Zeke had fallen off his e-bike, Ms Weedon’s initial worry didn’t extend to the possibility of a fatality. “He spoke at first … because he didn’t have any outside injuries, unfortunately it was all internal, she didn’t think it was that bad,” she recalled. Even hearing that there was “some blood coming out of his mouth … but even hearing that, you never think you’re going to lose your little boy.”
Despite being on a footpath, Zeke’s internal injuries were described as “immense,” and he tragically passed away later that afternoon. Police have since charged a 15-year-old boy with dangerous driving causing death and driving an unregistered vehicle in relation to the incident.
Calls for Stricter Regulations
Zeke’s death is not an isolated incident. In the five months following his passing, three other teenagers have tragically lost their lives in e-bike related crashes in Queensland alone. This alarming trend has prompted urgent discussions and considerations for legislative changes.
Several states are now contemplating bans on children under the age of 16 from riding e-mobility devices. Queensland is considering such a ban, alongside a proposal to mandate that all other e-bike and e-scooter users carry a driver’s licence. Western Australia already prohibits children under 16 from riding e-bikes, and New South Wales is also exploring age restrictions. While most other states and territories have a minimum age of 16 for e-scooters, the Northern Territory has a higher age limit of 18, and Queensland and the ACT require supervision for riders aged 12 and above.
Dr Patel expressed his strong reservations about the current situation. “When you put an electronic or artificial motor onto a device and give it to a child who doesn’t have the necessary cognitive skills and ability to manage risk, I think that’s a flawed concept,” he argued. “I accept that there’s an element of children needing [to] have some sort of freedom, and yes, they need to have their easy falls, but an easy fall shouldn’t give them lifelong permanent injury.”
The most common injuries presenting to medical professionals are to the head, neck, and shoulders. Dr Patel pointed to a developmental factor, noting, “That age has that mentality that they don’t think it can happen to them, and that continues well into adulthood.” He acknowledged the difficulty in finding simple solutions, suggesting that when individuals struggle with self-regulation, legal frameworks become necessary.
Addressing the Importation of Non-Compliant Devices
Beyond age restrictions, there are growing calls for action to address the importation of high-powered, non-compliant e-bikes and scooters into Australia. While e-bikes offer a convenient and increasingly affordable mode of transport, Peter Bourke from Bicycle Industries Australia highlights the danger posed by overpowered devices used by untrained individuals in inappropriate locations.
“We’ve got this overpowered product, high speed, operating in the wrong locations, by people that don’t have training or skills,” Mr Bourke stated. “Therefore, the likelihood of the incidents and the accidents we’re seeing are increasing dramatically, and that’s leading to injuries and unfortunately deaths.”
In late 2025, the federal government introduced the EN15194 standard, aiming to ensure all e-bikes sold in Australia have a maximum speed of 25 kilometres per hour and a motor output of 250W. A spokesperson for Federal Transport Minister Catherine King confirmed this standard provides “a clear standard for the sort of bikes we want purchased and ridden across Australia.”
However, enforcement remains a challenge. Some states, like Western Australia, have paused legislative changes to e-rideable rules, awaiting further federal action on the importation of illegal devices. Bicycle Industries Australia is advocating for a mandatory advisory process, requiring anyone importing an e-bike to provide evidence of compliance to the federal government. Mr Bourke explained that while the standard is mandatory, the paperwork process has become voluntary, hindering customs’ ability to enforce regulations.
In response, the Federal Transport Minister’s spokesperson indicated that road rules and compliance are primarily the responsibility of individual states and territories. The Commonwealth’s role is described as coordinating to ensure consistency in e-bike regulations across state borders.
The current situation underscores a critical need for a multi-faceted approach, encompassing stricter regulations, improved enforcement at the border, and a greater public awareness campaign to mitigate the growing risks associated with e-bikes and protect Australia’s children from preventable, life-altering injuries.
