E-Bikes, E-Scooters, Kids, and the Growing Safety Problem in Ontario

E-bikes and e-scooters have become part of everyday life across Ontario, but the public conversation has not kept pace with the risks. The combination of speed, limited supervision, weak enforcement, and widespread misunderstanding of the rules is creating serious safety concerns, especially when children are involved.

Why the concern is growing

What many people are seeing on local streets is not just a few adults commuting. It is children and teenagers riding fast-moving electric devices with little protective gear, sometimes weaving through traffic, sidewalks, parking lots, and intersections. Ontario law does not treat these vehicles as toys, even when they look like ordinary bicycles or compact scooters.

A legal e-bike in Ontario is a power-assisted bicycle with working pedals, a motor of no more than 500 watts, and electric assistance that cuts out at 32 km/h. The operator must be at least 16 years old, and riders under 18 must wear an approved bicycle or motorcycle helmet.

For electric kick-style scooters, the rider must also be at least 16 years old. Riders under 18 must wear a bicycle helmet, and municipalities must choose whether and where e-scooters are permitted on public roads and other public spaces.

Children on e-bikes are often not riding legally

One of the biggest misconceptions is that these devices are allowed simply because they do not require a driver’s licence. That is not how Ontario’s framework works. A compliant e-bike does not require a licence, registration, licence plate, or automobile insurance, but the rider still has to meet the legal age requirement and the bicycle still has to stay within the provincial definition of an e-bike.

That means a child under 16 riding a motor-assisted bicycle on a public road is not operating it legally. It also means that a bike sold or described as an “e-bike” may actually fall outside the legal category if it has been modified, exceeds the speed cap, lacks proper pedals, or no longer meets Ontario’s technical requirements.

This distinction matters because many of the machines now seen on the road blur the line between bicycle and small motorcycle. Some appear bicycle-like at first glance but are heavy, throttle-driven, unusually fast, and capable of operating in a way that far exceeds what most people think of as a conventional pedal bike.

Why these devices can be so dangerous

The danger is not only about top speed. E-bikes and e-scooters put riders on small wheels with little physical protection, limited braking margin, and high vulnerability to potholes, uneven pavement, gravel, wet conditions, and driver blind spots. Young riders often lack the judgment, scanning habits, and braking control needed to mix safely with cars, trucks, buses, and pedestrians.

Toronto injury data has shown that many e-scooter injuries happen when riders simply fall, while a significant share also involve collisions with motor vehicles and pedestrians. Clinicians in Ontario have also warned that emergency departments are seeing more serious injuries linked to e-bikes and e-scooters, including trauma involving children and youth.

Helmet use is a major concern. Pediatric specialists and media reports on recent surveillance data have pointed to severe head injuries, ICU admissions, and deaths involving children and teens using these devices, with concern heightened when helmets are absent or not worn properly.

The numbers that should get attention

Recent Canadian Paediatric Surveillance Program data reported that 10 children in Canada died in 2025 from injuries related to e-scooters and e-bikes. Of those 10 pediatric deaths, six were reported in Ontario.

The same surveillance data identified 57 severe pediatric injuries, including deaths, intensive care admissions, and hospital stays longer than two days. Those figures do not necessarily represent every injury or death in the province, but they are strong evidence that the issue is not anecdotal and not minor.

What remains harder to pin down in public data is the total number of all-age deaths in Ontario involving e-bikes and e-scooters, broken down by device type and rider age. At this stage, the strongest publicly reported child-specific figure is the pediatric surveillance finding noted above.

When a car hits an e-bike or e-scooter

This is where the issue moves beyond traffic safety and into insurance complexity. A compliant e-bike or e-scooter usually does not carry its own Ontario automobile policy, but when a collision involves a plated motor vehicle, the injured e-bike rider or e-scooter rider may still have access to Statutory Accident Benefits under Ontario’s system.

Depending on the facts, benefits may be sought through the injured person’s own automobile insurer, a household policy, the insurer of the vehicle involved, or the Motor Vehicle Accident Claims Fund. The availability and scope of benefits depends on the person’s status, the policies in play, and the exact circumstances of the collision.

At the same time, the automobile driver may still face a liability claim if negligent. The fact that the rider was underage, unhelmet, speeding, or operating improperly does not automatically remove the driver’s exposure. Fault still depends on the evidence, including lookout, speed, lane position, right of way, visibility, lighting, and the actions of all parties.

The Rental-Scooter Access Gap

Ontario requires e-scooter riders to be at least 16 years old, yet the rental process can sometimes be completed in only a few minutes with an app and a payment method such as Apple Pay. Payment authorization is not age verification. It does not confirm who is actually riding, whether the account holder is present, or whether the rider understands the law.

This creates a troubling gap between legal eligibility and practical access. A child may be unable to legally operate a rental scooter but still be able to unlock one with an adult’s phone, payment account, or shared family account. The industry should consider stronger age and identity checks, clear safety acknowledgments, rider education, and controls against account sharing.

Rental companies, municipalities, parents, and insurers all have an interest in preventing a simple app-based transaction from placing a fast-moving motorized device in the hands of an untrained child. When the foreseeable result is a serious injury, “the user agreed to the terms” may not be a sufficient answer for the public

Why this matters for parents and drivers

For parents, the main issue is simple: these devices can move at speeds capable of causing life-altering injuries, and the law does not permit children under 16 to operate them on public roads. For drivers, the challenge is that even when a child is riding illegally, a collision can still lead to catastrophic injury claims, accident benefits issues, and long-term litigation exposure.

For communities, the broader problem is that enforcement, product design, retail marketing, and public understanding have not kept up with how quickly these devices have spread. The result is a patchwork of risky behaviour, local bylaw confusion, and preventable harm.

A message worth repeating

If a rider is under 16, an e-bike or e-scooter is not legal for public-road use in Ontario. If the device has been modified or exceeds the legal speed and power limits, it may not be a lawful e-bike at all.

The real lesson is that these are not toys. They are motorized vehicles with the capacity to seriously injure riders, pedestrians, and motorists, and Ontario’s recent pediatric death data suggests the consequences are already showing up in the worst possible way.

Disclaimer: This article is for general information purposes only and does not constitute legal, financial, or insurance advice. Insurance rules and coverage details can change, and individual circumstances vary significantly. For specific guidance about this article, your policy, coverage options, or how these changes affect your situation, please contact a licensed insurance broker, agent, or insurer directly. You may also want to review the policy wording or consult with a legal professional for personalized advice.