Gold Coast Highway Patrol officers have conducted a two-day personal mobility device (PMD) operation across the Gold Coast as part of Operation Elektra, targeting unsafe and unlawful behaviour by riders.
The dedicated operation, which will continue throughout the school holidays, resulted in 35 PMD riders being intercepted. Three of those bikes were collected by parents, two riders were issued warnings, and a juvenile was dealt with under the provisions of the Youth Justice Act for nine separate offences.
In total, 14 juveniles were dealt with for PMD offences during the two-day operation.
Among them was a 13-year-old Bonogin boy who police allege was riding an e-bike at more than 70 kilometres per hour along Christine Avenue before failing to stop at two red lights. He was later intercepted and, following further investigation, was dealt with under the provisions of the Youth Justice Act.
The offences included driving of motor vehicle without a driver licence, vehicles used on roads must be registered, drive uninsured vehicle, disobeying the speed limit, wearing motorbike helmets, driving within a single marked lane, light vehicle must not be driven or parked on a road if defective and two counts of failing to stop on a red traffic light.
A 14-year-old boy, also riding an e-motorbike, was dealt with under the provisions of the Youth Justice Act after allegedly evading police and committing dangerous operation of a vehicle. Additional offences included riding unregistered, uninsured, unlicensed, and failing to wear a helmet.
In another incident, a 15-year-old boy was intercepted on an e-motorbike, which was subsequently impounded by police. He was dealt with under the provisions of the Youth Justice Act for alleged offences including unlicensed driving, riding an unregistered and uninsured vehicle, operating a defective vehicle, failing to stop, driving without due care, and driving on a nature strip.
Police also dealt with a 16-year-old boy riding an e-motorbike under the provisions of the Youth Justice Act for eight separate offences.
Acting Superintendent Michelle Piket said the boy’s behaviour was particularly concerning and this is exactly the type of behaviour that leads to tragedy.
‘We’ve already seen the devastating consequences when riders choose to travel at high speeds and neglect basic safety equipment like helmets,’ Acting Superintendent Piket said. ‘These machines are capable of travelling very quickly, but riders often don’t fully appreciate just how vulnerable they are when something goes wrong.’
Catastrophic mistakes
Acting Superintendent Piket said officers frequently witness dangerous behaviour from PMD riders.
‘Our officers see young people trying to evade police or darting through heavy traffic, and when adrenaline kicks in, that’s when mistakes are made. Those mistakes can be catastrophic,’ she said.
‘We want parents to understand the risks. If your child is riding one of these PMDs, make sure that the device is lawful and compliant, they are following the rules and have the proper safety gear. Too often we have conversations with parents after something has already gone horribly wrong.’
Alongside the PMD enforcement, police also carried out broader road safety enforcement across the Gold Coast District as part of Operation Spring Break.
Over the two-day operation, officers conducted 70 roadside breath tests to check for drink-driving. A total of 33 traffic infringement notices were issued for a variety of offences.
Acting Superintendent Piket said police would maintain a visible presence on Gold Coast roads throughout the school holidays.
‘Highway Patrol will continue these targeted operations. Our aim is to educate the community, particularly young people and their parents, about the risks involved. But when we see blatant and dangerous behaviour, we will take enforcement action to keep everyone safe,’ she said.
‘We know most people want to do the right thing, and we encourage all riders and drivers to take responsibility for their own safety.’
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