Young Nanaimo e-scooter rider injured in vehicle collision

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“The reports that we got was that she was wearing a helmet, but after colliding with the motor vehicle it had come off her head.”

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Cst. Blacklock said tickets were issued to both riders for being underage and riding on a sidewalk, carrying separate $109 fines.

The officer said with school out for summer, their detachment is noticing many more young people on e-scooters taking advantage of favourable weather, with increased reports of dangerous riding behaviour.

“I think parents are purchasing these for their kids as a mode of transportation and not really understanding the inherent risk that comes with the speed that these things can go,” Cst. Blacklock said.

A concerned local Uplands Dr. resident, who didn’t want to be identified, said there has been an explosion of e-scooter riders in the neighbourhood.

She said the rise in popularity of the scooters, combined with constant vehicles speeding on Uplands Dr., is a bad combination.

“I’m scared to hit one of the kids because they just come out of nowhere, and I don’t know how much control they have over those things. It’s scary, and I’m not surprised it happened.”

The resident said poor sightlines on several side streets connected to Uplands Dr. adds to the problem.

Rules surrounding safe e-scooter usage aren’t being followed in many cases, the concerned resident told NanaimoNewsNOW.

“Some of the kids are quite young, I think it’s a bad idea, but they’re not my kids.”

Police evidence markings applied to the Uplands Dr./Villa Rd. intersection. (Image Credit: Ian Holmes/NanaimoNewsNOW)

Using electric scooters is permitted in some communities, but is technically illegal in others.

The existing Electric Kick Scooter Pilot Program is in effect in dozens of communities across the province, including locally in Nanaimo and Parksville.

The ongoing pilot project, rolled under B.C.’s Motor Vehicle Act regulations, are in place until April 2028.

Key regulations stipulate e-scooter operators must be at least 16 years old, with their scooters unable to travel faster than 25 kilometres per hour.

Helmets are mandatory.

Bike lanes must be used if available, while e-scooters can’t legally be ridden on sidewalks.

Nanaimo RCMP states its officers have been tasked with helping young riders understand the rules surrounding e-scooters through education and guidance to help prevent collisions and serious injuries.

A 15-year-old boy and driver were both deemed to be at fault during a June 23 e-scooter and van collision on Nanaimo’s Metral Dr. and Bergen-Op-Zoom Dr.

The helmetless teen was reported to be travelling at a high rate of speed when he hit the vehicle, with its driver ticketed for failing to yield.

He wasn’t wearing a helmet and sustained non-life-threatening injuries.

In that case, the rider was fined for both not wearing a helmet and being underage to ride an e-scooter.

A woman died in Vancouver earlier this month after she collided with the side of a vehicle while riding an e-scooter.

She reportedly was not wearing a helmet.

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