Risky behaviour and regulation compliance in eRiders and cyclists in metropolitan Perth Western Australia

ERideables are electric rideable devices, such as a scooter or skateboard. In 2021, new eRideables regulations came into effect in Western Australia. To understand how these regulations were being complied with, and the kinds of behaviours, experiences and perceptions associated with eRideables, we conducted an observational and intercept survey of eRiders in metropolitan Perth. The surveys were conducted in 2022 and then again in 2023 and were timed to occur 12 months, and then 24 months, after the introduction of the new regulations. In both years overall observed helmet use averaged across all devices (including bicycles) was around 90 %. However, helmet use varied substantially across device type. Compared to cyclists, eScooter riders were around 1.6 times more likely to be unhelmeted, eSkateboarders were around 2.5 times more likely to be unhelmeted, and eWheel riders were around 3.4 times more likely to be unhelmeted. Around 15 % of eRiders admitted to not using a helmet at some point. The 2023 observational survey shows a decline in eScooter helmet compliance compared to the 2022 survey despite no change in cyclists’ helmet compliance being observed. Shared device riders were observed to be helmet non-compliant around 4 times more often than private device riders. The persistence, between the 2022 and 2023 survey, of a non-trivial lack of awareness of the regulations, noncompliance with the regulations, and risky behaviour, suggest that additional interventions are required to address these issues. In particular, there would be value in exploring specifically why there appears to be an increase in helmet noncompliance for shared devices.