‘Too little, too late’: Fears Queensland’s new e-bike and e-scooter laws don’t go far enough
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The father of a teenage girl who was seriously injured in a horror e-scooter crash has described Queensland’s incoming e-mobility laws as “too little, too late”.
Gary Flowers’ daughter Jasmine was left with a fractured skull and a brain bleed after the accident on the Sunshine Coast in January last year.
Chanphen and Gary Flowers with their daughter Jasmine at a school function. Supplied
Jasmine was one of 2000 people to suffer serious injuries from e-scooters and e-bikes in Queensland in 2025.
To curb the rising number of injuries, new laws will come into effect in the state from July 1.
The Queensland government initially proposed a ban on under-16s using e-bikes and e-scooters but instead the parliament passed a law to allow children aged 12 to 17 to ride e-mobility devices with parental supervision.
Flowers labelled the change “ridiculous”, saying it would not work “at all” in practice.
“The government has backflipped,” he said.
“Do they think that parents will be supervising them 24/7?
“No, that will be impossible.
“People have to realise teenagers are very sneaky people and very smart these days.”
The state government has passed several other reforms, including a law to hold parents accountable for children under 16 riding illegally.
Flowers said e-bikes and e-scooters should be kept away from young riders.
“If accidents happen, this can be for the rest of their lives,” he said.
Jasmine Flowers pictured in hospital in Brisbane last year after the e-scooter crash. Supplied
“[My family] has a lot of experience in what disabilities can arise from bad accidents.”
‘Everyone is on edge’
School bus driver Peter Terrill wrote to Queensland’s e-mobility inquiry last year after he became concerned about the influx of e-scooters and e-bikes in his area.
Terrill, who has worked in the role for a decade, said he and his fellow drivers have been confronted with dangerous behaviour on the roads every day.
“Everyone is on edge every day, more so now because the bikes and scooters are that powerful now they’re faster than traffic,” he said.
“The thing is that the kids are only young, and they don’t know the road rules.”
School bus driver Peter Terrill is concerned about the influx of e-scooters and e-bikes in his area. Supplied
He said their fears were realised last year when a school bus driver ran over an 11-year-old boy and killed him.
Ever since, bus drivers in the area have discussed what countermeasures they can take to avoid hitting another e-rider.
Terrill said he’d seen an increase in inexperienced riders and a growing disregard for traffic rules.
Seeing four girls “flying” down the wrong side of the road on a single e-bike one day stopped him in his tracks.
Two girls had helmets on, while the other two didn’t.
Terrill wants to see registration for e-bikes and e-scooters, a licensing system and a requirement for riders to do an advanced driving course.
“The law is not enough,” Terrill said.
This scene stopped bus driver Peter Terrill in his tracks. Supplied
“The thing is they’re here, they’re being used and they’re very popular.
“I think the government has been too slow to react to the rules.
“They need to be registered and the riders licensed.”
The ‘sleeper’ issue
Pedestrian Council of Australia CEO Harold Scruby welcomed the reforms but said more needed to be done.
“It’s a step in the right direction, but they don’t go anywhere near far enough,” he said.
“The good news is the Queensland government is the first government in Australia to put a speed limit on a footpath.
“Everywhere else, it’s the same as the adjacent road.”
Scruby described insurance as the sleeper issue in the national conversation and pushed for more discussion about the issue.
“We need number plates and we need insurance,” he said.
“The highest cause of avoidable death after 50 is a fall.
“You hit an elderly person or a child and cause a catastrophic injury, apart from the fact that they’re likely to die, there’s no recompense.
“Why should we be going for a walk and be subjected to this nonsense?”
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