Small Riders, Fast Machines: A Parent’s Guide to E-Bike Risks and Safer Riding

What the Available Data Says About E-Bike Injuries

E-bike use has expanded rapidly in the United States. A 2025 congressional safety briefing cited more than 1.7 million e-bikes sold in the United States in 2024, nearly a 75% increase from the prior year.

The injury trend has moved in the same direction.

U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission tracking estimated approximately 360,800 emergency-department visits and 233 deaths involving micromobility products from 2017 through 2022. That broader category includes e-bikes, e-scooters, hoverboards, and related devices, so those totals should not be interpreted as e-bike injuries alone.

Looking specifically at e-bikes, the research reviewed by Santini Research identified more than 53,000 e-bike-related injuries between 2017 and 2022, with reported e-bike injuries increasing sharply between 2019 and 2022.

The national data is still incomplete, particularly as device types change faster than many crash-reporting systems. But there is already enough information to identify recurring patterns parents should understand.

Younger Riders Deserve Particular Attention

One of the clearest signals in the research is age.

Pediatric sources cited in the report identify ages 10 through 13 as an especially important injury group, with one source reporting that more than 44% of the e-bike injuries it examined occurred within that age range.

Broader Consumer Product Safety Commission micromobility data likewise found that children age 14 and younger accounted for approximately 36% of reported injuries while representing only about 18% of the U.S. population.

That does not create a universal age at which every child is or is not capable of riding an e-bike. It does mean parents should evaluate more than whether a child can physically operate the bike.

Traffic judgment, maturity, helmet habits, willingness to follow rules, ability to recognize vehicle conflicts, and the actual route the child will ride should all be part of the decision.

Some of the Biggest E-Bike Risks Are Behaviors Parents Can Influence

A major theme in the research is that injury risk is not determined by the machine alone.

The studies reviewed in Small Riders, Fast Machines identify several behaviors associated with sharply greater risk, including:

• Chasing other riders or playing around while riding
• Riding an e-bike with known mechanical problems
• Using a phone while riding
• Riding against traffic
• Running red lights or ignoring traffic controls
• Riding without a helmet
• Spending extended periods riding each day

One case-control study cited in the report found particularly large associations for behaviors such as playful or competitive riding, riding a mechanically compromised e-bike, phone use, and prolonged daily riding.

The practical message for parents is straightforward: some of the most dangerous variables are also among the most controllable.

Rules about helmets, phones, bike maintenance, group riding, traffic direction, and where a child may ride can materially change the environment in which that child is operating.

Where a Child Rides Can Matter as Much as How They Ride

The safest rider can still be placed in a dangerous situation by a bad route.

The research reviewed in the report points to recurring environmental concerns including:

• Higher-speed multi-lane roads
• Busy intersections
• Roads without meaningful separation for bicycle traffic
• Narrow shoulders
• Missing bicycle lanes
• Potholes and uneven pavement
• Poor visibility
• Routes that force children to mix closely with cars and trucks

A route that looks short on a map may be a poor choice for a young rider if it requires crossing a major arterial road, navigating several lanes of traffic, riding beside vehicles traveling 40 or 45 mph, or repeatedly entering conflict points at driveways and intersections.

Parents should evaluate the actual route, not just the destination.

Walking or riding that route with a child before allowing independent trips is one of the simplest ways to identify hazards that are easy to miss from inside a car.

The Sidewalk Is Not Automatically the Safe Answer

E-bike sidewalk laws vary by state and municipality, and parents should check the rules where their child actually rides.

But the safety problem exists regardless of the local legal framework.

A sidewalk may separate a child from fast-moving vehicles, but it also introduces pedestrians, driveways, intersections, limited sight distance, and other conflict points. Young riders should slow around pedestrians, yield, remain prepared to stop, and understand that drivers entering or leaving driveways may not expect a faster-moving bicycle.

If the only choices for a particular trip are weaving around pedestrians on a crowded sidewalk or riding beside 45-mph traffic on a multi-lane road, the better solution may be to change the route or the trip altogether.

The Five-Part Parent E-Bike Safety Check

Before a child rides independently, Santini Research recommends that parents evaluate five areas.

1. Age and Maturity

Do not base the decision solely on whether friends already have e-bikes. Consider whether the child consistently follows crossing rules, understands traffic, recognizes dangerous situations, and can be trusted to follow riding restrictions when an adult is not present.

2. The Actual Route

Walk, drive, or ride the route first. Look specifically for high-speed roads, multi-lane crossings, blind intersections, rough pavement, missing bicycle facilities, difficult driveways, and places where the rider must suddenly merge with vehicle traffic.

3. Helmet Use

Make helmet use a condition of riding rather than a suggestion.

A helmet cannot prevent every crash, but consistent helmet use removes one preventable variable from a situation in which young riders are already exposed to speed, traffic, and falls.

4. Screens, Stunts, and Group Behavior

Phones, racing, chasing, tricks, riding the wrong way, and similar behavior should be treated as violations of the family’s riding rules rather than harmless play.

5. Responsible-Rider Habits

Talk about the type of rider you expect the child to become.

The behavioral research reviewed in the report suggests that young riders’ attitudes toward risk and their own identity as responsible or irresponsible riders can influence the choices they make when adults are not watching.

Sources Used in the Report

• S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. (2023). Micromobility Products-Related Deaths,
  Injuries, and Hazard Patterns, 2017–2022. https://www.cpsc.gov/s3fs-public/Micromobility-Products-Related-Deaths-Injuries-and-Hazard-Patterns_2017-2023.pdf

• Gottheimer, J. (2025). RELEASE: Gottheimer Announces New E-Bike Safety Plan to Protect
  Children from Rise in E-Bike Accidents. U.S. House of Representatives. https://gottheimer.house.gov/posts/release-gottheimer-announces-new-e-bike-safety-plan-to-protect-children-from-rise-in-e-bike-accidents
• Yang, H., Borhan, M. N., Ibrahim, A. N. H., & Ali, F. (2025). The Determinants of Two-Wheeled
  Vehicle Riders’ Riding Behavior and Their Consequences: A Literature Review, Conceptual
  E-TPB Model, and Research Agenda. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/393737391_The_Determinants_of_Two-wheeled_Vehicle_Riders’_Riding_Behaviour_and_Their_Consequences_A_Literature_Review_Conceptual_E-TPB_Model_and_Research_Agenda
• Zhong, Z., Lin, Z., Li, L., & Wang, X. (2022). Risk Factors for Road-Traffic Injuries Associated
• with E-Bike: Case-Control and Case-Crossover Study. International Journal of Environmental
• Research and Public Health, 19, 5186. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35564582/
• (2026). Common Causes Behind E-bike Fatalities According to US Statistics.
  https://speedwaymedia.com/2026/01/21/common-causes-behind-e-bike-fatalities-according-to-us-statistics/
• Miller Children’s & Women’s Hospital. (2026). E-Bike Popularity and Safety Concerns for
  Children and Teenagers. https://www.millerchildrens.memorialcare.org/blog/e-bike-popularity-and-safety-concerns-children-and-teenagers
• Cherry, C. R., & MacArthur, J. H. (2019). E-bike safety: A review of empirical European and
  North American studies. https://ipmba.org/images/uploads/EbikeSafety-VFinal.pdf