Researchers from University of California San Diego announced on July 20 that injuries involving electric bicycles, or e-bikes, have risen sharply across California, increasing from just two reported collisions in 2018 to 1,506 in 2024. The study, published on July 17 in Trauma Surgery and Acute Care Open and titled 'An Exponential Increase in e-bike Injuries in California,' found that e-bike riders were more likely to experience moderate-to-severe injuries than riders of traditional bicycles. The findings highlight growing public health and safety concerns as the use of e-bikes continues to expand statewide.
E-bikes have become increasingly popular because they allow riders to travel farther and faster with less physical effort compared to traditional bicycles. Researchers say this growth has expanded transportation options but also introduced new safety challenges. E-bikes are generally heavier and capable of higher speeds than conventional bicycles, which may contribute to more serious injuries when collisions occur.
The research team analyzed data from the California Highway Patrol's Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System, examining collisions involving both e-bikes and traditional bicycles between 2018 and 2024. Their analysis included a total of 4,035 e-bike collisions and 58,332 traditional bicycle collisions. Researchers say this makes it one of the largest statewide studies of e-bike injuries conducted so far.
"E-bikes are here to stay, and they provide substantial benefits to mobility and recreation," said Jay Doucet, MD, voluntary clinical professor of surgery at UC San Diego School of Medicine and professor of surgery at Florida State University at Lee Health. "However, our study found a dramatic increase in e-bike injuries across California, including a disproportionate number involving children and low rates of helmet use among injured riders. Parents need to understand what they are buying for their children, and communities and policymakers need to recognize that safety infrastructure, education and policy have not kept pace with adoption. As trauma surgeons, we will continue our advocacy efforts to ensure that the benefits of e-bikes are realized while reducing preventable injuries and deaths."
Researchers say their results support efforts aimed at improving rider education programs, encouraging consistent helmet use among all cyclists—including children—and expanding infrastructure designed specifically for cyclist protection. They also point out the potential value in policies addressing age requirements for riders as well as standards for classifying different types of e-bikes.
"As e-bike use continues to grow, it will be important to identify which interventions have the greatest impact on preventing serious injuries," Austin said. "Our goal is not to discourage e-bike use, but to ensure that riders of all ages can use them as safely as possible." Future research will focus on linking traffic collision data with hospital records for better understanding specific injury patterns.
