Electric scooters account for 3% to 8% of all pediatric injuries treated in emergency rooms. In Greece alone this widely used form of transport has caused around 400 accidents involving minors in 2025, half of whom required hospitalization.
Orthopedic surgeon Antonis Angoules, speaking to a Greek radio station, said head injuries account for roughly one third of all e-scooter-related cases. Children are particularly prone to upper limb fractures, typically to the wrists and elbows, because they instinctively extend their arms when falling. Adults, who tend to fall with greater momentum, more often sustain injuries to the lower limbs, including the ankles and knees, as well as shoulder dislocations.
Most accidents occur the very first time a person rides an e-scooter, Angoules noted, citing a study that underscores the importance of basic user training. “Children are more accident-prone because their musculoskeletal system has not yet fully matured, which means they have limited motor control,” he said.
Speed limits routinely ignored
Under current Greek law, children between the ages of 12 and 15 may ride e-scooters at a maximum speed of 6 kilometers per hour, slightly faster than walking pace. Those over 15 are permitted to ride at up to 25 kilometers per hour. Angoules said those limits are frequently violated.
The popularity of e-scooters has grown sharply in recent years, driven by their low cost and ease of use. That accessibility, he warned, has contributed to reckless use, particularly among children. “Strict legislation must be introduced immediately to save lives and reduce serious accidents, both for riders and for pedestrians,” Angoules said.
A global problem
The trend is not unique to Greece. In the United States, e-scooter injuries rose from around 4,000 in 2014 to nearly 30,000 in 2019, reflecting the vehicle’s rapid spread worldwide.
A study by the University of Graz in Austria found that helmet use can reduce head injuries by 44%. Angoules stressed that riding e-scooters on busy roads without a helmet, or while using a mobile phone or wearing headphones, is unacceptable.
Legislation in the works
Greece is preparing to introduce stricter regulations on electric scooters to address growing safety concerns linked to their widespread use on urban roads. The new legislation is expected to be unveiled during the week of May 25 and voted on in June.
Under the proposed framework, e-scooters will be required to carry a special identification label instead of a license plate and will be fitted with speed limiters restricting their maximum speed to 25 km/h. Riders will be prohibited from using scooters on major avenues and on roads where the speed limit exceeds 30 km/h. The legislation will also ban the use of electric scooters by anyone under the age of 18, along with mandatory helmet use and insurance coverage.
