E-Scooter Safety: Rising Injury Trends and Insurance Needs
E-scooters have officially taken over Regina’s pathways. They’re eco-friendly, they’re fast, and honestly, they’re a blast to ride. But as these little “micromobility” vehicles (basically just a fancy term for small, low-speed electric transport) become part of our daily commute, things are getting a bit complicated on the legal side.
Table of Contents
A Reality Check on Safety: E-Scooter Injury Data
The Real Risks: What the Data Tells Us
25.2%
Of all motorized scooter injuries involve the head, representing the largest proportion of cases.
28.5%
Of incidents occurred in traffic, highlighting the danger of mixing scooters with motor vehicles.
55.1%
Of riders reported using no protective equipment at all at the time of their injury.
E-scooters have quickly become a common sight in Canadian cities, offering a quick way to get around without a car. But as their popularity has grown, so has the number of people ending up in the hospital because of them. In just one year, hospitalizations from e-scooter accidents jumped by nearly 33% across the country. It’s a trend that has emergency room doctors concerned, especially since many of these injuries are more serious than a simple scrape or bruise.
National E-Scooter Hospitalizations
2022-2023
375 Hospitalizations: Data from the Hospital Morbidity Database shows 220 hospitalizations for males and 155 for females across Canada.
2023-2024
498 Hospitalizations: A significant jump to nearly 500 cases nationwide, marking a 32.8% increase in a single year.
Key Insight
Demographic Shift: While males still account for the majority of injuries, hospitalization rates among youth (ages 5–17) saw the sharpest upward trajectory.
Data sourced from: Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI)
When you look at the provincial breakdown, Ontario and Alberta are leading the way in injury numbers. This isn’t just because they have more people; it’s also where e-scooter sharing programs are most active. While many riders see these as toys, medical professionals point out that the injuries often look more like what you’d see in a motorcycle or car crash.
Broken bones and head injuries are common, often because people aren’t wearing helmets. In fact, some trauma experts have noted that almost none of the patients they treat for e-scooter accidents were wearing a helmet at the time. In Regina alone, the Health Authority tracked 34 ER visits in just five months due to scooter falls.
E-Scooter Hospitalizations by Province (2023-2024)
Ontario
271
Alberta
234
British Columbia
182
Saskatchewan
40
Source: Canadian Institute for Health Information via CBC News
Another factor playing into these numbers is the “first-time rider” effect. Many people hopping on a shared scooter are doing so for the first time or under the influence of alcohol after a night out. Emergency doctors have shared that they see a significant number of accidents occurring late at night or on weekends, often involving riders who aren’t familiar with the scooter’s handling or the rules of the road.
As cities continue to expand these programs, the data suggests that safety education and better infrastructure will be just as important as the convenience they provide.
The Ground Rules for Regina
Think of an e-scooter as a middle ground between a bike and a moped. In Regina, they can have up to four wheels and a motor capped at 500W. To keep everyone safe, the city has some pretty specific non-negotiables:
Where You Can Go
Stay in bike lanes and park pathways. Sidewalks are a no-go zone; they’re for pedestrians only.
Safety & Age
You must be 16 or older. Helmets aren’t a suggestion; they’re the law.
Speed Checks
Roadways are capped at 24 km/hr, while multi-use pathways drop down to 15 km/hr.
Quick tip: E-scooters are for solo missions only. No passengers and no towing.
The Insurance “Grey Area”
Here is where it gets tricky. If you’re renting a scooter from a company like Bird, you might assume you’re covered by their policy. You aren’t. As Bird Canada’s CEO Stewart Lyons puts it, they are “heavily insured,” but that insurance is there to protect the company and the city, not you personally.
“If you hit a pedestrian and they sustain a serious injury, you could be on the hook for their medical bills and damages out of your own pocket.”
Does My Home Insurance Help?
Possibly, but the protection is very specific. Many policies include Personal Liability, which protects you if you’re found “negligent” and hurt someone or damage their property. However, this is often complicated by the standard “Motorized Vehicle Exclusion” found in most forms.
The ‘Liability Gap’
Regardless of whether you own or rent your e-scooter, you need to understand the difference between the machine and the person it hits. Under your personal property insurance from your home, condo or renters policy, liability coverage may extend to you while operating certain motorized vehicles, but this extension is strictly for third-party liability.
In other words, if you are found negligent in causing bodily injury or property damage to another person, your policy might cover those damages. However, there is a major caveat: your home insurance offers zero coverage for physical damage to the scooter itself. If you crash and wreck your $800 unit, that’s entirely on you.
The Takeaway: While your policy might protect your bank account from a lawsuit if you injure a pedestrian, it won’t pay to repair or replace your scooter if it’s damaged in the process. Call your broker to confirm your specific policy allows for this liability extension on a motorized unit without pedals.
The Road Ahead: Lawsuits and Legal Battles
Most of us don’t think about insurance when we’re zipping down a bike lane. We’re usually just thinking about making it to our brunch reservation on time. But because of that, we’re entering a wild new era of “creative lawsuits.” Lawyers are now seeing a massive spike in cases where riders, pedestrians, and car drivers are all fighting over who is left holding the bill.
Most of the public won’t even think about insurance on e-scooters… They haven’t thought about it when they purchase or when they rent them. That’s a big problem.
The Enforcement Gap: Rules vs. Reality
In Saskatchewan, the rules are pretty clear on paper: e-scooters generally aren’t allowed on sidewalks. But if you walk through downtown Regina or Saskatoon, reality looks a bit different. This creates a massive headache for cities. If a municipality sets a bylaw but doesn’t (or simply can’t) enforce it, they might be opening themselves up to a lawsuit.
Legal experts are starting to ask: are cities at risk for being too “lax”? For example, many cities have a minimum age of 18 to ride, yet you’ll constantly see kids on them in the summer. When an accident happens, “creative” lawyers look for every possible party to involve. If the city knew people were breaking the rules and didn’t step in, a judge might decide the municipality bears a slice of the blame.
The Bottom Line: As e-scooters become more common, cities are struggling to find affordable insurance because the risk is so unpredictable. While Saskatchewan’s rules are strict now, the legal landscape is shifting fast. If one major insurer changes how they handle these claims, the rest of the province will likely have to follow suit.
The “Millimetre” Rule: Potholes and Sidewalks
It isn’t always the rider’s fault. Sometimes, it’s the road itself. Because e-scooters have such tiny wheels, a crack in the pavement that a car wouldn’t even feel can launch a rider over the handlebars, leading to life-altering brain injuries.
This has led to a surge in lawsuits against cities for “failure to maintain” their roads. As legal expert Steven Crljenica points out, these cases often come down to a single millimetre. If a sidewalk edge is even one millimetre higher than the city’s own safety bylaws allow, the city (and its insurers) might be on the hook for 100% of the damages.
The Liability Trap: Who Actually Pays?
The legal question of the decade is: whose insurer pays? This is where it gets messy. In Canada, we often deal with Joint and Several Liability. That’s just a fancy legal term for “if three people are at fault but only one has insurance, the person with insurance pays for everything.”
Imagine a scenario where a rider hits a pedestrian because of a small bump in the road. A judge might decide the rider is 75% at fault and the city is 25% at fault. However, since most e-scooter riders don’t have insurance, the injured pedestrian can legally demand 100% of the money from the city. The city then has to try and get that 75% back from the rider.
Currently, there isn’t a specific “e-scooter insurance” policy you can buy. This means if you’re injured in a crash that doesn’t involve a car, it’s very unclear how you’ll be compensated. The best thing you can do is stay informed, follow the rules, and check your personal property policy.
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Last updated: February 25, 2026 | Sources: SGI, Regina Health Authority, CIHI, CBC, CTV News.
Posted in Auto on August 21, 2023 by Hope Prost
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