Two children were hospitalized on Tuesday after being struck by vehicles while riding scooters in separate incidents in Toronto, renewing concerns about scooter safety for young riders.
On Tuesday morning, police said a 12-year-old child was also struck while riding a scooter in Scarborough, near Kingston Road and Mason Road.
The child was taken to the hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries, with police later confirming with 680 NewsRadio that the boy was not wearing a helmet at the time of the collision.
The second collision happened around 5:45 p.m. in the Moss Park neighbourhood, near Parliament and Shuter streets.
Toronto police say a 10-year-old boy riding a scooter was hit by a vehicle and rushed to the hospital with serious injuries. The driver remained at the scene.
Growing trend of scooter injuries impacting Toronto youth
The incidents come amid a documented rise in scooter-related injuries among children. A report from The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) published in 2024 found a sharp increase in emergency department visits linked to e-scooters and e-bikes.
In June and July 2024 alone, SickKids recorded 16 e-scooter injuries, more than triple the number seen during the same period in 2023. The hospital’s trauma registry indicates that e-scooters account for 85 per cent of battery-powered device-related injuries in children between 2021 and 2024.
More than half of those injured were not wearing helmets, according to the report.
“High speed, a lack of helmet use, young age and interaction with motor vehicles all place children and youth at risk of serious injury if there is a fall or collision,” said Dr. Suzanne Beno, Medical Co-Director of the Trauma Program at SickKids.
SickKids recommends that children avoid operating e-scooters altogether, and that older youth wear helmets, follow municipal rules, and avoid riding in traffic-heavy areas.
Mississauga deputy mayor looks to ban e-scooters
In the wake of incidents involving e-scooters, Mississauga councillors are discussing the dangers around private e-scooters in the city.
At the city’s general committee meeting on Sept. 17, Deputy Mayor Matt Mahoney is urging for a ban as he points to incidents of teens riding at high speeds.
“I was on Loyalist (Drive) the other day doing 40 km/h and had one pass me — probably a 15-year-old kid without a helmet,” he said.
Mahoney says he’s concerned about scooters used by teens commuting to high school, stressing the difficulty in policing the issue with strained police resources.
At the meeting, Coun. Dipika Damerla agreed on the need for better regulation, but cautioned against an outright ban, drawing parallels to the early days of cycling.
“When bikes were first invented, there was huge outcry that they should be banned, how dangerous they are, and today we are advocating for more bike lanes,” she said.