Australia’s first national school-based e-mobility education program is expanding nationwide, as concerns grow over rising injuries among young riders.
Developed by road safety charity BRAKE Driver Awareness Australia, the program targets students aged 11–15, equipping them with the knowledge and skills to ride e-scooters and e-bikes safely. It has already reached more than 90,000 students across more than 190 Queensland schools and is now being rolled out nationally, with launches underway in Victoria and South Australia and commitments from Northern Territory schools.
The expansion comes amid a sharp rise in e-mobility use, with 3.6 million Australians using e-scooters in a single year. However, this rapid uptake has exposed what the organisation describes as a growing safety gap, particularly among young riders.
Data cited in the program’s release shows that injuries are increasing in line with popularity. In Queensland, more than five people per day present to emergency departments with e-scooter injuries, while 2,000 riders were seriously injured in 2025, up from 1,626 in 2024 and 1,380 in 2023. In Victoria, nearly half of e-scooter injuries involve children aged 10 to 14.
Teenagers are also disproportionately affected, with e-bike accidents now the most common among those aged 15–18, highlighting the risks associated with increasingly powerful devices and limited rider experience.
Chief Operating Officer at BRAKE Driver Awareness Australia, Mr John Duncan, said the speed of adoption has outpaced education.
“While the technology and availability have arrived quickly, the education hasn’t, and that gap is costing young people their safety and, in some cases, their lives,” he said.
Delivered across two classroom lessons, the program focuses on practical skills including hazard recognition, managing peer pressure, understanding speed and stopping distances, and riding predictably in traffic. It also addresses risk factors such as night riding and intoxication, alongside visibility, legal responsibilities, and environmental awareness.
The initiative places a strong emphasis on behaviour and attitudes, encouraging students to consider how their riding affects others in shared spaces, particularly vulnerable pedestrians.
This focus is informed by research showing that nearly two in five e-scooter crashes occur between 9pm and 5am, when visibility is lower and intoxication rates are higher. International data also suggests alcohol is involved in around 43 per cent of e-scooter injuries.
The program builds on broader road safety education efforts, with road trauma remaining the leading cause of unintentional injury death among Australians aged 15 to 24, accounting for around 60% per cent of fatalities in this category.
Recognising the heightened risks outside metropolitan areas, a dedicated Rural and Remote module has also been developed to address higher-speed roads and longer travel distances, where nearly two-thirds of fatal crashes occur.
According to Mr Duncan, the goal is to embed consistent, ongoing safety education in schools rather than relying on one-off interventions.
“Unlike one-off talks, our model enables teachers to deliver ongoing learning, ensuring students everywhere, including in remote areas, gain the skills and confidence to stay safe,” he said.
With e-mobility becoming an increasingly common mode of transport for young Australians, the organisation is calling on schools, teachers and communities to support the program’s continued rollout nationwide.
Visit www.brake.org.au to learn more.
