More Kids, Teens Injured In E-Bike Wrecks, Study Finds

Key TakeawaysElectronic bikes are responsible for a growing number of injuries among teens and childrenE-bike injuries have more than tripled in San DiegoWrecks on e-bikes are more likely to cause head injuries and broken bones.WEDNESDAY, March 4, 2026 (HealthDay News) — Electronic bikes, also referred to as e-bikes, are zooming in popularity, but they’re also responsible for more kids landing in an ER with injuries, a new study says.E-bike injuries have more than tripled in San Diego in recent years, researchers reported Monday at a meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) in New Orleans.Children and teens in these accidents were four times more likely to have an arm or leg injury and more than twice as likely to sustain a head injury, results showed.“These types of orthopedic injuries typically require surgery, hospital stays and rehabilitation,” senior researcher Dr. Rachel Mednick Thompson said in a news release. She’s an orthopedic surgeon at Rady Children’s Hospital and the University of California-San Diego.These battery-powered bikes can reach speeds of up to 28 miles per hour, increasing the likelihood of serious injury in the event of an accident, researchers said in background notes. Worse, the bikes don’t need a license to operate.For the new study, researchers analyzed data on nearly 340 bicycle-related accidents treated at a pediatric trauma center in San Diego between 2019 and 2023.Results showed that e-bikes were increasingly responsible for trauma activations, rising from just 2% in 2017 to 64% in 2023.Children in e-bike accidents had three times the rate of broken bones in their accidents, compared to those riding conventional bicycles, researchers found.E-bike patients also were more likely to be older, nearly 13 years of age versus around 10 for those injured on pedal-bikes, and were three times less likely to be wearing a helmet, the study found.“Our research team is hopeful that communities will recognize the public health risk that e-bikes and other forms of alternative transportation now present and start having meaningful conversations about safety,” Thompson said.“Are there better ways to regulate micromobility? Should a license be required to operate an e-bike? Are age limits worth considering? These are all important questions that legislators and community leaders should consider as they move forward,” Thompson concluded.The conference continues through Friday.Findings presented at medical meetings should be considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.More informationThe American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons has more on the hidden dangers of e-bikes.SOURCE: American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, news release, March 2, 2026 .What This Means For YouParents should make sure their children wear a helmet and maintain safety while riding any kind of bike..Sign up for our weekly HealthDay newsletter