{"id":445560,"date":"2026-01-29T17:19:14","date_gmt":"2026-01-29T17:19:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/445560\/"},"modified":"2026-01-29T17:19:14","modified_gmt":"2026-01-29T17:19:14","slug":"over-2000-aussies-stung-with-166-on-the-spot-fines-to-tackle-growing-road-menace","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/445560\/","title":{"rendered":"Over 2,000 Aussies stung with $166 on-the-spot fines to tackle growing road menace"},"content":{"rendered":"

E-bikes and scooters<\/a> are quickly becoming one of the hottest debated topics of 2026<\/a>, with countless incidents involving the controversial devices<\/a> taking place in the first month of the year. In Queensland during the school holidays, thousands of fines were issued in just weeks.<\/p>\n

Officers announced on Thursday, as children went back to school, that a total of 2,100 fines were issued for failing to wear a helmet ($166 fine), and 200 for riding on prohibited roads ($190 fine), while 142 non-compliant devices were seized from the road.<\/p>\n

Photos released by police show a number of modified devices taken by police from offenders. In the state, fines for illegally tampering with an e-bike can exceed $1640, according to police.<\/p>\n

Operation X-Ray Surety launched on November 3 and ended as the new school year commenced.<\/p>\n

It comes as authorities right around the country grapple with soaring e-device uptake, largely among youths, and especially when it comes to their modification.<\/p>\n

That’s driven in part by commuters looking for cheap, fast and flexible ways to get around. As well as a particular appetite among teenagers.<\/p>\n

Their convenience, however, has been matched by a rise in serious injuries and deaths<\/a>, with speed a key factor.<\/p>\n

\"Police<\/p>\n

Officers confiscated more than 140 devices. Source: QLD Police<\/p>\n

Stark warning as volume of modified e-devices on roads soars<\/p>\n

Last week, police in Victoria issued a scathing warning to communities after two brothers riding an allegedly modified e-scooter <\/a>\u2014 above the limit and helmetless \u2014 almost lost their lives on the state’s Bass Coast.<\/p>\n

They branded the brothers’ injuries “too graphic to describe” but noted they will be “life-altering”.<\/p>\n

Aged just 17 and 21, police said the siblings slammed into the back of an SUV at Cape Paterson, caving it in, and totalling both vehicles at the same time.<\/p>\n

“The car was written off, as were almost the lives of the brothers,” police said.<\/p>\n

“Parents, you need to inspect any e-scooter that your child has<\/a> and make sure it is legal. The vast majority of the e-scooters we intercept … are not legal.”<\/p>\n

Authorities crack down on illegal use<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Police in Western Australia recently announced they had crushed more than 50 e-bikes seized from patrols in Perth\u2019s north<\/a>, as part of the state\u2019s dramatic crackdown on illegal riders.<\/p>\n

Footage released by officers shows they are not kidding around, with several e-rideables literally being crushed by an excavator.<\/p>\n

\"E-bikes<\/p>\n

WA Police have cracked down on illegal e-bike use, seizing and crushing dozens of bikes. Picture: WA Police<\/p>\n

NSW Police this week handed out 73 cautions for operating non-compliant or modified bikes and failing to wear a helmet correctly after investigating an incident where a group of riders were filmed riding across greens and fairways at Sydney’s Long Reef Golf Club<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Last year, data from The Children\u2019s Hospital at Westmead in Sydney showed a 300 per cent increase in NSW e-bike and e-scooter injuries.<\/p>\n

In the state, there have been proposals for riders to obtain a licence prior to use.<\/p>\n

The plan, aimed at curbing bad behaviour amid a surge in the devices,<\/a> would mandate licences <\/a>and number plates on all shared electronic bikes.<\/p>\n

There was even a recent push for mandated insurance<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The rule would see riders forced to take out insurance similar to other road users.<\/p>\n

That proposal is being led by doctors and lawyers who argue there is a “compensation gap” that is leaving e-bike riders and victims of crashes financially vulnerable<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

You can also follow us on Facebook<\/a>, Instagram<\/a>, TikTok<\/a>, Twitter<\/a> and YouTube<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>