More Wanganui children are suffering scooter injuries as they become more popular.
Wanganui scooter injuries have more than doubled - from 51 at a taxpayer cost of $13,691 in 2011 to 131 at $47,871 last year.
ACC claim figures show that injuries increased the most among 5 to 14-year-olds, from 33 to 103.
Fractures to arms, and head and facial injuries - particularly to the teeth - were most common, with some occurring when handgrips came off handlebars and when scooters folded unexpectedly, ACC said.
St Anne's School principal Karl Zimmerman said many of his students used scooters, and the school had two scooter storage racks.
Helmet use was not compulsory while riding scooters on school grounds, he said.
An "element of parent choice" was involved in whether students used helmets.
"From a school point of view, it's like any other equipment - we just monitor the injuries and monitor where the issues are and from there we take action."
Nationwide statistics released by Safekids New Zealand last year showed 158 children were hospitalised with scooter-related injuries between 2007-11.
Safekids director Ann Weaver said although scooters provided children with valuable exercise, it was important to use safety equipment such as helmets, which are not currently mandatory.
"It only takes one fall and landing the wrong way could really have a long-term impact on their life, and all for the sake of wearing a helmet," Ms Weaver said.
"Just because it isn't law, we should still be encouraging children, because we know it's a good intervention to reduce serious head injury."
Schools needed to have scooter safety policies if their students were using scooters to travel to school, including instructions on good travel routes and possible traffic hazards, she said.
Through its Safe2Skoot programme, run in conjunction with Jetstar, Safekids delivers safety information to schools throughout the country.
While scooter safety was ultimately the responsibility of parents, schools needed to support children to travel to school safely, she said.
The Warehouse spokeswoman Joanne Fullam said the popularity of children's scooters was definitely on the increase and the retail giant had seen steady sales growth, particularly over the past six months. "Safety is a top priority so we offer a large range of skate style helmets and safety pads."