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ABC News
an hour ago
- Business
- ABC News
Minimum standards for hireable e-scooters should be considered: Road safety commissioner
Western Australia should consider setting minimum standards for hireable e-scooters, and regulating — rather than outlawing — bigger, faster devices, says the state's road safety commissioner. The issue of regulating the e-rideables has been thrust into the spotlight after 51-year-old Thanh Phan was killed at the weekend after being struck by a hired e-scooter in the Perth CBD. A 25-year-old UK tourist Alicia Kemp has been charged with causing death while driving dangerously under the influence of alcohol. The City of Perth yesterday indefinitely suspended the hiring of e-scooters, a move welcomed by one of the state's top trauma surgeons. Road Safety Commissioner Adrian Warner welcomed the move too, but told the ABC he believed other local governments should look at their own data before following suit. He believes e-scooters could operate safely in the CBD with some additional technology. "Modern devices are often equipped with cameras in-built into the device which can detect whether you've got a helmet on your head, can detect if you've got two people on the device, for example," he said. Mr Warner suggested the City of Perth would be looking for those features as part of its tender for e-scooter providers, which closes later this month, after an initial two-year trial period ended earlier this year. The commissioner said he would be talking to local governments about whether the state government should set minimum standards, such as those features, for hireable e-scooters. "It may well be that creating a safer category of device that's raising the threshold helps local governments in terms of their tendering and their business licensing and gives good signals to the industry that you have to keep improving your safety standards," he said. But Mr Warner, who said he rides e-scooters himself sometimes, said a fundamental risk remained, because there was no way of an e-scooter changing its speed limit depending on whether it was on the road or a footpath. Nonetheless, he indicated he was supportive of regulating e-rideables in a way which kept people riding them, because he saw significant benefits in getting people out of cars. A review of WA's e-scooter rules released last month found a "concerning" lack of compliance and made a number of recommendations — including reviewing the penalties for e-rideable offences. It also suggested a closer look at whether larger, faster and heavier electric vehicles warranted their own category of regulation, rather than just being illegal because current rules treat all e-rideables similar to bicycles. "There is a group of people who want to ride further and faster on bigger, heavier, more powerful devices," Mr Warner said. "At what point do we look at these devices and say, look, they're not really so much like a bicycle as that we should treat them more like a motorcycle or a moped? "What kind of driver licensing requirements will apply? "They certainly need to address issues around registration and insurance, because that's another issue. "People who are impacted by a crash at the moment, particularly if there's an unlawful behaviour, really have no recourse in terms of compensation except to take someone to court, now, that's out of the realm of possibilities for most people." While Mr Warner said much of that depended on the Commonwealth looking at its import rules and vehicle safety standards, he believed there was appetite for the change. He said "most jurisdictions" he'd spoken to agreed with that position, and that it would be discussed at a road safety meeting in Melbourne in coming weeks. Police and Road Safety Minister Reece Whitby indicated on Friday he was not a fan of those e-rideables being available in Australia, especially given they are currently illegal. 'When I go see my fellow police ministers around the country, I'll be raising this issue … we need to ban the importation of very high-speed e-rideables,' he said. Since e-rideables became regulated in late-2021, the Road Safety Commission said there had been nine fatalities involving the devices – five in WA in the past year-and-a-half, with two in the past two weeks. Mr Warner acknowledged that trend was 'not good' and that compliance with the rules was an issue. In response, he called for a 'balanced' approach between education and enforcement. "I'm always surprised, with the amount of advertising we do, when we're doing targeted advertising, particularly on social media," he said. "But people aren't understanding the rules. "We've got to get that balance right, we need to keep doing a bit of enforcement, keep doing education, keep engaging with the community. "And importantly, get that golden rule out, that is, if you're on a bike, if you're on a scooter, your job, the golden rule, is to not hit a pedestrian." WA police said they would be "out in force" in Perth and Northbridge on Friday night, speaking to every e-scooter rider to either thank them for following the rules, or educating or fining those breaking them. The road safety commissioner said police were doing an "appropriate" job of enforcement, while balancing their other priorities. "Their enforcement activity has resulted in a shift in terms of the numbers of illegal devices that are being used so openly," he said.
News.com.au
16 hours ago
- News.com.au
City of Vincent curbs e-scooter rentals following the death of 51-year-old pedestrian Thanh Phan in Perth
Another council has pulled the pin on e-scooter rentals a day after the City of Perth suspended the service following the death of 51-year-old pedestrian Thanh Phan. Mr Phan was allegedly struck down from behind by an intoxicated rider in Perth's CBD about 8.40pm on Saturday. He suffered a brain bleed and was rushed to hospital, but died from his injuries days later. British tourist Alicia Kemp, 24, now faces charges of dangerous driving occasioning bodily harm and dangerous driving occasioning death after Mr Phan died. Police allege she was under the influence of alcohol with a 26-year-old passenger on board, before she hit Mr Phan. The City of Vincent's decision to suspend e-scooter hires while it reviews the service comes a day after its neighbour, the City of Perth, suspended the service in response to the fatality. Vincent informed its residents e-scooters were no longer be available for hire until further notice and all hireable e-scooters would be removed from the streets within the next 48 hours. Vincent Mayor Alison Xamon said they were very saddened to hear about Mr Phan's death. 'Like our neighbours at Perth, we have decided to temporarily suspend our trial so we can review the safety of the hireable e-scooters and consider ways to improve this service or if it even needs to continue,' she said. 'We will continue to work closely with our service providers on potential changes to their operations here in Vincent.' Ms Xamon said public safety was a top priority and they would consider if safety-related measures such as time-of-day restrictions could be implemented on e-scooters. Australian Medical Association WA president Michael Page told NewsWire at least one person a day was admitted to WA's trauma unit with major injuries caused from e-scooters. Dr Page said the number of patients with really serious traumatic injuries from e-scooters had been increasing and they were seeing people being admitted with serious head injuries, bone fractures, life altering injuries and sometimes fatal injuries. 'It's really a scourge in terms of injuries in our society and the problem with these council endorsed private hire e-scooters in city centres is people are hopping on without any experience riding e scooters,' he said. 'They're often intoxicated. They might be riding at night. They might not be wearing proper protection and so the chance for something to go wrong is, is very, very high.' While the AMAWA are not calling for a total ban of e-scooters, Dr Page said hire schemes endorsed by councils to activate city centres and bring vibrancy were a risk 'The question really has to be, does the benefit outweigh the risks when we're seeing deaths and many injuries?' he said. 'They are dangerous you've got plenty of evidence from other cities around the world, other countries around the world, from across WA that these schemes are not very safe.'
Perth Now
16 hours ago
- Perth Now
City of Vincent curbs e-scooter rentals following the death of 51-year-old pedestrian Thanh Phan in Perth
Another council has pulled the pin on e-scooter rentals a day after the City of Perth suspended the service following the death of 51-year-old pedestrian Thanh Phan. Mr Phan was allegedly struck down from behind by an intoxicated rider in Perth's CBD about 8.40pm on Saturday. He suffered a brain bleed and was rushed to hospital, but died from his injuries days later. British tourist Alicia Kemp, 24, now faces charges of dangerous driving occasioning bodily harm and dangerous driving occasioning death after Mr Phan died. Camera Icon Perth father Thanh Phan, 51 was allegedly struck from behind and killed by a rider who was under the influence of alcohol. ABC Credit: ABC Police allege she was under the influence of alcohol with a 26-year-old passenger on board, before she hit Mr Phan. The City of Vincent's decision to suspend e-scooter hires while it reviews the service comes a day after its neighbour, the City of Perth, suspended the service in response to the fatality. Vincent informed its residents e-scooters were no longer be available for hire until further notice and all hireable e-scooters would be removed from the streets within the next 48 hours. Camera Icon A statement from City of Vincent says e-scooters would no longer be available for hire in the local government area until further notice. NewsWire/ Glenn Campbell Credit: News Corp Australia Vincent Mayor Alison Xamon said they were very saddened to hear about Mr Phan's death. 'Like our neighbours at Perth, we have decided to temporarily suspend our trial so we can review the safety of the hireable e-scooters and consider ways to improve this service or if it even needs to continue,' she said. 'We will continue to work closely with our service providers on potential changes to their operations here in Vincent.' Ms Xamon said public safety was a top priority and they would consider if safety-related measures such as time-of-day restrictions could be implemented on e-scooters. Camera Icon AMA WA president Michael Page says at least one person a day was being admitted to WA's trauma unit with major injuries caused by e-scooters. Supplied Credit: Supplied Australian Medical Association WA president Michael Page told NewsWire at least one person a day was admitted to WA's trauma unit with major injuries caused from e-scooters. Dr Page said the number of patients with really serious traumatic injuries from e-scooters had been increasing and they were seeing people being admitted with serious head injuries, bone fractures, life altering injuries and sometimes fatal injuries. 'It's really a scourge in terms of injuries in our society and the problem with these council endorsed private hire e-scooters in city centres is people are hopping on without any experience riding e scooters,' he said. 'They're often intoxicated. They might be riding at night. They might not be wearing proper protection and so the chance for something to go wrong is, is very, very high.' While the AMAWA are not calling for a total ban of e-scooters, Dr Page said hire schemes endorsed by councils to activate city centres and bring vibrancy were a risk 'The question really has to be, does the benefit outweigh the risks when we're seeing deaths and many injuries?' he said. 'They are dangerous you've got plenty of evidence from other cities around the world, other countries around the world, from across WA that these schemes are not very safe.'
7NEWS
18 hours ago
- 7NEWS
City of Vincent suspends e-scooter trial just days after death of Perth father
A second council has pulled the handbrake on e-scooters following a spate of serious incidents. The City of Vincent, a local government in Perth, has suspended its e-scooter trial as of June 6 to allow time for a review. Its rental scooters will be removed from the streets over the next 48 hours. Vincent's announcement comes a day after the City of Perth made the snap decision to suspend rental e-scooters indefinitely following the death of 51-year-old pedestrian Thanh Phan. 'We were very saddened to hear about the tragic accident in the City of Perth,' Vincent Mayor Alison Xamon said. 'Our condolences are with the family. 'Like our neighbours at Perth, we have decided to temporarily suspend our trial so we can review the safety of the hireable e-scooters and consider ways to improve this service or if it even needs to continue.' Phan, a Menora father of two, was allegedly struck by a drunk tourist while out for dinner in the CBD last Saturday night. 'A tragic event occurred at the weekend and our thoughts are with the deceased man's family at this very sad time,' City of Perth Deputy Lord Mayor Bruce Reynolds said on Thursday. 'In response to the fatality, the City of Perth has suspended the hiring of e-scooters.' Phan's death came just days after a 31-year-old man was killed in a late-night crash with a truck. An 11-year-old boy was fortunate not to have lost his right leg in a collision with a car in Lakelands, in Perth's south, on May 23. WA Police are preparing to crack down on unsafe riders and will launch an operation on Friday. Officers will be targeting speeding, mobile phones, riding under the influence of drugs and alcohol, helmet use and passenger limits. 'Police will be adopting an 'education through enforcement' approach to identified offences involving electric rideable devices,' WA Police said. St John Ambulance has responded to 328 serious e-scooter crashes this year. Doctors say devastating crashes involving e-scooters are on the rise, with one seriously injured rider presenting every day at RPH. 'We saw an exponential increase in these injuries over the last five or so years,' RPH trauma surgeon Dieter Weber told 7NEWS last week. 'This has been a new injury pattern that we simply did not have previously.' 'Traumatic injuries' Public health and safety experts have called for improved safety regulations across Australia after a new report identified that 176 injured children aged between five years and 15 years had been taken to Sunshine Coast University Hospital in 2023 and 2024. Researchers found one in 10 e-scooter injuries were life threatening or potentially life threatening, and almost four in 10 cases involved a broken bone. 'The types of injuries ranged from minor fractures and injuries through to traumatic brain injuries requiring a craniotomy,' lead author Matthew Clanfield said. 'A lot of the parents attending were extremely upset to see their child hospitalised and weren't aware how risky e-scooters can be or the legal requirement for supervision under 16.' Public Health Association of Australia chief executive Terry Slevin said e-scooters were 'proving (to be) a genuine public health risk and injury prevention issue'. 'This study provides data in one region and in one hospital, but this is an issue in every town and city where they have landed across Australia,' he said. The Queensland Government is preparing to hold a public inquiry into e-scooters and other mobility devices.
Sunday World
19 hours ago
- Sunday World
Backpacker faces jail in Oz after killing pedestrian while drunk on e-scooter
Alicia Kemp (24) was arrested and charged for riding the hired e-scooter on a footpath and knocking down 51-year-old engineer Thanh Phan Pedestrian Thanh Phan died after being hit at the intersection of Murray Street and King Street by an e-scooter A British backpacker is facing 20 years in prison after she allegedly killed a father by ploughing into him while riding drunk on an e-scooter. An Australian court was told Alicia Kemp (24) was arrested and charged for riding the hired e-scooter on a footpath and knocking down 51-year-old engineer Thanh Phan. Mr Phan was struck from behind as he walked along Murray Street in Perth's Central Business District with a friend at about 8.40pm on Saturday. Alicia Kemp who had been riding the e-scooter that hit Mr Phan has been denied bail having appeared in court flanked by security guards. The court was told that she was in Australia with her partner on a four-month tourist visa and that she had been working at Durty Nelly's Irish pub. E-scooters on a street in Perth. Stock image News in 90 Seconds - 5th June 2025 She had been out drinking on Saturday afternoon from 2.30pm with a friend, who was kicked out of a bar for being too drunk. Later that evening, at around 8.30pm, she hired an e-scooter. Police told the court that she was the main driver, while her friend was a passenger. Prosecutors said that Kemp was driving in an 'inexplicably dangerous' manner and that pedestrians were forced to 'take evasive action'. 'She has careered into his back, causing him to fall forward and hit his head,' the officer said. Mr Phan, a senior structural engineer for Worley, was taken to Royal Perth hospital in a critical condition. He tragically died of brain injuries following the May 31 incident. Ms Kemp's 26-year-old pillion passenger was flung from the e-scooter but suffered non-life-threatening injuries. The whole incident that was captured on CCTV lasted less than 10 minutes. Pedestrian Thanh Phan died after being hit at the intersection of Murray Street and King Street by an e-scooter Vehicle examiners who watched the footage estimated Ms Kemp reached up to 25km/h, while the speed limit for e-scooters on footpaths was 10km/h. She was travelling at 24km/h when 'she careered into his back', prosecutors said, adding that this caused Phan to fall forward and hit his head. A police prosecutor told Perth Magistrates Court on Tuesday that the 24-year-old a blood alcohol reading of 0.158 per cent. The police prosecutor told Magistrate Richard Huston that an upgraded charge was 'guaranteed'. Ms Kemp had been charged with dangerous driving occasioning grievous bodily harm under the influence of alcohol, but that has now been upgraded to dangerous driving occasioning death under the influence of alcohol. It carries a maximum penalty of 20 years. Ms Kemp who sustained minor injuries and was not taken to hospital, also faces a charge of dangerous driving occasioning bodily harm under the influence of alcohol over her friend's injuries. The unidentified 26-year-old was thrown from the scooter and suffered a fractured skull and broken nose. The police prosecutor opposed bail as Ms Kemp was in Western Australia for four months on a working holiday visa. As she had connection to WA, she was considered a flight risk to which the magistrate agreed, despite the accused woman's duty lawyer saying she could be under a 24-hour curfew and surrender her passport. The magistrate said that remanding the British backpacker in custody was a 'very difficult decision for the court to make'. But he said that the prosecution's strong case and the prospect of a long prison sentence if convicted meant that there was a risk of her 'not returning to court to answer the charges'. 'The temptation might be that (she) won't return. I can't manage that risk.' Ms Kemp wiped away tears, according to Perth Now, as she was told she would be remanded in custody until her next court appearance on July 15. Mr Phan's profile showed he studied in Singapore before working in Vietnam then Sydney before moving to Perth. In a statement, Mr Phan's family described him as a 'beloved husband, father of two, brother and dear friend'. Saying the news of his death on Monday night had been heart-breaking, they called for a review of laws and safety regulations around hired e-scooters 'to help prevent further serious incidents that put lives at risk'.
