At least 477 children in England have been injured riding e-scooters since 2019, according to researchers from UK children's hospitals. The number of young patients seeking hospital treatment for e-scooter injuries has increased more than 20-fold over the six-year study period.
Researchers warned that children as young as 10 are riding privately purchased e-scooters that can be modified to reach speeds of 70mph. Data collected across the pediatric trauma centres showed that fewer than 2 per cent of injured e-scooter users were wearing helmets.
Separate analysis by the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety revealed that 59 Britons have died in e-scooter accidents since 2019. Government-backed trial schemes have allowed rental e-scooters for over-16s in cities including London, Liverpool, Manchester and Birmingham since July 2020. Rental vehicles are permitted on roads and cycle lanes at speeds up to 15.5mph, but remain banned on pavements and motorways.
Riding a privately owned e-scooter on public roads or pavements remains illegal in the UK. Retailers have sold the devices since 2018 at prices exceeding £1,000 in some instances, although vendors are required to inform customers about legal restrictions.
Hospital Study Findings
The research analysed injury records between January 2019 and December 2024 at Alder Hey Children's Hospital in Liverpool, Royal Manchester Children's Hospital and Sheffield Children's Hospital. Team members based at each hospital described e-scooter injuries as a rising public health challenge and warned that the true nationwide injury toll may be significantly higher.
In 2019, only five e-scooter injuries were recorded across the two hospitals with available data, comprising four at Alder Hey Children's Hospital in Liverpool and one at Sheffield Children's Hospital. Royal Manchester Children's Hospital figures were only available from 2023 onwards following a change to its electronic records system. By 2024, annual injuries recorded across all three hospitals surged to 149.
The 477 injured children who presented to trauma centres over the six-year period had an average age of 12. Liverpool recorded the highest total with 213 injuries, followed by Sheffield with 198 and Manchester with 66. Boys accounted for two-thirds of injured children, and 95 per cent of all casualties were driving the vehicle.
Every injury recorded in Sheffield involved a privately owned scooter because the city does not operate a rental trial scheme. Across Liverpool and Manchester combined, rental scheme scooters were linked to just three injuries, meaning privately purchased models caused the vast majority of incidents.
Injuries and Medical Demands
The most common injuries affected the limbs, head and face. Among the 477 injured children, 64 were admitted to hospital and 33 required surgery. Researchers also found that three-quarters of the affected children came from the most deprived areas.
"We urgently need to increase public and clinician awareness, have clearer public health messaging, review of government legislation to prevent further injuries and deaths," the study authors said. "Retailers should have a responsibility to pass on the legal regulations to their customers as well as UK regulations to ensure safety in the design of private e-scooters."
A Department for Transport spokesman described the findings as concerning and extended thoughts to everyone injured on the roads. "It is illegal for private e-scooters to be used on roads, pavements or in other public spaces, including by under 16s, and we're bringing forward new laws to make their use safe and legal, including consulting on requirements like helmets," the spokesman told the Daily Mail.
Fatal Manchester Collision
The research follows the death of 14-year-old Jacob Calland, who suffered irreversible severe brain injuries in an e-scooter crash on March 19, 2025. Jacob was riding as a passenger on an e-scooter driven by his 15-year-old friend in Wythenshawe, Manchester, and died in hospital eight days later.
Manchester Crown Court heard in June that the driver received the e-scooter as a gift from his mother two weeks before the collision. Prosecutors said the teenager was a thrill seeker who ran a red light before colliding with a BMW while riding in a turbo mode setting capable of reaching 28mph.
The driver pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving and received an 18-month rehabilitation order. Jacob's mother, Carly Calland, described having her heart smashed into a thousand pieces following the crash.
"My heart has been smashed into a thousand pieces and there is nothing that can be done to fix it. My life is a living nightmare," Carly Calland said in a statement. "I climbed into the hospital bed to cuddle him and I fell asleep holding him. When I woke up, it was time to turn off the machines."
"I told Jacob I loved him just before he passed away. My baby boy was gone forever," Calland said. "He won't sit his GCSEs, he won't have his sweet 16 birthday party, he won't go to his school prom. He won't be able to follow his dreams. He won't get married and won't have children. His life ended the moment that collision happened."
