COMMUNITY NEWS - Government crackdown request

The Motor Trades Association of Queensland (MTA Queensland) is calling on the Queensland  and Federal Governments to take urgent enforcement action against the explosion in unsafe  and non-compliant e-mobility devices being sold and used across the state, following two  recent devastating incidents that claimed the lives of an 8-year-old and a 15-year-old boy. 

“Enough is enough. Queenslanders are dying because unsafe and unregulated vehicles are  being sold and ridden with no oversight,” said Rod Camm, Chief Executive Officer of MTA  Queensland. 

“Every day these high-powered machines find their way onto our roads, bikeways and parks is  another day lives are on the line. The laws exist - the government just isn’t enforcing them.

“We have children riding high-powered, unregulated machines with no safety  standards, no registration, no insurance, and no training. It’s reckless, it’s dangerous, and it’s killing people,” he added. 

MTA Queensland says that while the exact details of the weekend’s incidents are still being  investigated, the broader issue is clear - the current system is failing. 

“We cleaned up the ‘Monkey Bike’ crisis in 2019 within months through targeted  enforcement. The same approach must be taken now with e-bikes and other unsafe devices.  Every day of inaction is another day Queenslanders are at risk,” said Mr Camm. 

The solution is already within government reach - what’s missing is urgency. “With Christmas approaching, e-mobility devices will be a popular gift for children,” Mr Camm said. 

“The government must act now - confiscate them, prosecute those selling them, and shut this  trade down before more families are torn apart.”