When school principal Steven Moore wrote about e-scooter and e-bike safety concerns to his parent community at the Sunshine Coast’s Nirimba State Primary School on Monday, the response was overwhelmingly supportive.
“This morning, I was informed that a student from our school was riding an e-scooter with no helmet and was nearly hit by a car,” Moore’s communication to school families read.
“If [a] collision had occurred, the injuries would likely have been substantial. This student was under 12 years of age.”
The principal announced he was enforcing an immediate ban on both e-bikes and e-scooters from the school grounds, because he could no longer support what he described as “inappropriate” riding.
“The school will also not condone the inappropriate use of personal mobility devices by allowing these devices to be parked at school,” Moore wrote.
“If you allow your child to ride an e-scooter, e-board or e-bike to school, they can park … [across the road] and walk onto school grounds. Lastly, we kindly ask all parents to remind their children to wear a helmet when riding a bike or scooter in the community and on their way to and from school.”
A social media post referencing the principal’s ban quickly attracted dozens of supportive comments from parents, with many saying it was a “good call”.
“Let’s hope others follow suit,” one commentator wrote, before expressing their worry that “one of these youngsters are going to crash and severely injure themselves”.
Road rule reminder
Current road rules in Queensland clearly state that children under 12 must not use the transport devices, and that children between 12 and 16 must only ride with adult supervision.
Maroochydore mother Rebecca Cronan, whose daughter Ruby-Storm Kayrooz was left with collapsed lungs, internal bruising, a brain injury and a ruptured spleen after being hit by a car while she rode an e-scooter to school in August 2024, praised the principal’s stance.
“I think it’s an excellent move for the safety of children … after what happened with my daughter, my belief is that children shouldn’t be on e-scooters at all.
“It’s been the biggest mistake of my life [buying one] … it’s going to be an ongoing cost to my family.”
Broader school bans
A Queensland Department of Education spokesperson says they don’t know how many other schools in the state have already banned e-scooters on school grounds.
“Individual school principals make decisions to address issues of concern regarding student road safety,” the spokesperson says.
Pat Murphy is president of the Queensland Association of State School Principals and says that because most primary school students are under 12 years of age, they are not legally allowed to ride the vehicles in the first place.
It’s a reality that shines a light on the issue of parental permissions regarding children having access to e-bikes and e-scooters.
“[We want to] make sure parents are keeping within the law,” Murphy says.
“We try and work with our community, but our prime interest is about getting every student to and from school safely, each and every day.”
