E-bikes have become increasingly popular among children and adolescents, but some may be unaware of the dangers associated with riding an e-bike. The American College of Surgeons made a statement in June 2025 citing e-bike injuries as an “emerging public safety problem” with annual injuries likely exceeding 20,000.
One recent example comes from November 14, 2025 when a 13-year-old in Long Island was hospitalized after flying from his e-bike following a collision with a deer. We’ve all seen our fair share of e-bikes in use, and in some of the most casual manners. Especially in New York City, where people will ride Citi bikes to get around with no protective gear, just their regular clothes. Has this become a problem?
What is the E-Bike?
As you might expect, “e” stands for electric. It’s the same as a bike, but has a battery and an electric motor, which automatically makes this vehicle faster. These are great for transportation if you need to get somewhere in a timely fashion; however, their speed and convenience can have dangerous consequences if they are not handled with care.
Potential Dangers
You’d be lying if you say you’ve never seen people riding e-bikes in the street or teenagers taking really fast joyrides. While e-bikes can be very beneficial in everyday transportation, not enough people have been taking serious precautions. From childhood, we’re taught to wear helmets and basic padding when riding bicycles, but you barely see e-bike riders doing the same.
Not wearing a helmet poses serious risks, especially as more people ride e-bikes but less wear protective gear. JAMA Surgery has reported that “the number of e-bike riders with head trauma seeking hospital care shot up 49 fold to nearly 8,000 in 2022” as an example. And apparently, only 44% of injured e-bikers wore helmets.
Potential Solutions
An obvious way to prevent more e-bike accidents would be to wear a helmet. But it could also help to inform the people around you about the importance of safety. Riders should also be advised to wear padding and refrain from using smart phones or headphones while riding to increase awareness of one’s surroundings.
Conclusion
No matter what, people are going to keep riding e-bikes. They’re eco-friendly and are a reliable mode of transportation. However, they can only be really safe for the environment if people take the proper precautions. Teens using e-bikes should ride with extreme caution, especially when they are in a busy area or riding on surface
Image Credit: https://www.opb.org/article/2024/02/21/e-bike-head-trauma-soars-as-helmet-use-falls-study-finds/