As part of a significant crackdown, police are seizing illegal e-scooters off the street and detaining them, with penalties of roughly $1,000 for anybody found riding them.
The crackdown was instituted by Victoria Police when a 28-year-old man died after falling off his electric scooter.
More than a week after losing control of his e-scooter when it rolled over a speed bump, Moustafa Abou-Eid passed away in a hospital on Friday.
In the first of many planned blitzes around the state, police have subsequently begun targeting scooters in Melbourne, notably in the inner-city district of Brunswick.
Privately owned electric scooters that can go faster than 10 km/h or output more power than 200 watts are prohibited in Victoria.
Anyone found using one will be fined $925 and their e-scooter will be seized.
It will cost the owner an additional $900 to get it back after 30 days.
Acting Inspector Darren Kenos of the Victoria Police said on 3AW that this week had already seen numerous e-scooter users stung.
To be quite honest, Mr. Kenos stated, “We are weary of having to visit families and inform them that their loved one has either perished or suffered life-threatening injuries as a consequence of riding these e-scooters.”
These e-scooters can go at speeds of more than 50 km/h, and there is very little room for mistake.
“I don’t believe it’s worth it, to be honest,” he said, “because if you do fall off you will suffer catastrophic injuries, if not lose your life.”
Inspector Kenos described the events leading up to Mr. Abou-demise Eid’s as follows: “He struck the road and regrettably wasn’t wearing a helmet.” This makes the risk posed by these scooters more apparent to us.
Around 8:20 a.m. on September 22, Mr. Abou-Eid was riding the vehicle illegally in Pascoe Vale, Melbourne’s north, without a helmet.
Although his injuries required immediate medical attention, he passed away on Friday night.
Before paying a heartfelt homage to his late brother, Mahmoud Abou-Eid told the Herald Sun that although his brother had the e-scooter, he hardly ever used it.
Mahmoud Abou-Eid observed, “You can’t find another guy like him, the heart and spirit he possessed was really unique.”
He had a great capacity for love. He has always cherished time spent with family and friends.
Sadly, what transpired really did happen. We are working to maintain our unity as a family. He’ll undoubtedly always have a special place in our hearts.
When Laura Wallace’s electric scooter collided with a vehicle on the crossroads of Drakeford Drive and O’Halloran Circuit in Kambah, Canberra, she was catapulted across the intersection and later killed.
The adolescent struck the car without a helmet on, according to the police, and sustained fatal head injuries.
Where you reside in Australia will determine the rules that apply to the common gadgets; some states have strict regulations, while others have outright bans on the devices.
Riders are permitted to use electric scooters in the Northern Territory, South Australia, Queensland, and Western Australia under standard driving regulations.
In contrast, riders in the Australian Capital Territory, NSW, Tasmania, and Victoria must undergo training before using the equipment, and their e-scooters must adhere to certain regulations.
Unless a residential street lacks a sidewalk, riders in Canberra must always wear a helmet while using their gadget and are not allowed on roadways or in on-road bicycle lanes.
NSW launched a shared e-scooter program in July 2022 that enables visitors and residents to hire a scooter from an authorized vendor and use it in two trial locations: Western Sydney Parklands and Australian Botanic Gardens.
The on-the-spot penalties for operating a forbidden or uninsured vehicle on NSW roads or sidewalks is $697 for users who take their gadgets for a joyride beyond the approved trial zones.