A motorist has captured alarming footage of an e-scooter rider travelling along the Sunshine Motorway near the Mooloolaba exit during peak-hour traffic, prompting renewed concerns about safety and awareness of e-scooter road rules.
Mary, who asked that only her first name be used, said she was driving on the motorway in an 80km/h zone just after 5pm on February 6 when she noticed the rider ahead of her.
“I use that motorway pretty much every day,” the Mooloolaba local said.
“I’d just dropped my daughter off and it was busy, peak-hour traffic.”
Mary said the situation escalated when the rider swerved into the traffic lane in front of her vehicle.
“She actually swerved right into the middle of the lane,” she said.
“I slowed right down – I was probably doing about 40km/h – and thought, ‘What the heck?’ It was so dangerous.”
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In the video, which Mary captured from a hands-free mount, the e-scooter rider is seen without a helmet.
“I couldn’t believe she didn’t have a helmet on, and there was heavy traffic through there, as there always is,” she said.
Mary said she lost sight of the e-scooter when it appeared to exit the motorway on the Mooloolaba off-ramp.
“I just slowed right down until it was safe to go past her,” she said.
Under Queensland law, e-scooters are classed as personal mobility devices and are not permitted on motorways or roads with speed limits above 50km/h. Riders are required to wear an approved helmet at all times.
E-scooters are generally allowed on footpaths, shared paths and local roads with lower speed limits but must not exceed 25km/h, and riders must give way to pedestrians. Fines can apply for riding in prohibited areas, failing to wear a helmet, or riding in a dangerous manner.
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Mary said unsafe use of e-scooters and e-bikes was becoming increasingly common near her home.
“I live on Brisbane Road and you constantly see kids on e-bikes and e-scooters – multiple people on one bike, no helmets, speeding around,” she said.
“It’s crazy. The law really needs to be tougher.”
Mary said she shared the footage on social media out of frustration and concern for public safety.
“I just couldn’t believe that people would do this,” she said.
“I don’t want to see someone seriously hurt. It felt like an accident waiting to happen.”
Queensland Police were contacted for comment but said they could not respond as the incident was not formally reported.
Mary said she did not contact police at the time because she believed the rider would have been too difficult to locate once she was able to report it.
“She was so close to coming off the motorway,” she said.
“Without any identification on those things, it would be very difficult to track.”
The Department of Transport and Main Roads was also contacted for comment.
