Researchers at the University of California, San Diego found that injuries related to e-bikes, or e-bikes, are increasing dramatically across California, increasing from just two crashes reported in 2018 to 1,506 in 2024. The study (title: Exponential Rise in E-Bicycle Injuries in California) was published in the journal E-Bicycle Injuries on July 17, 2026. Open trauma surgery and acute care, It also found that e-bike riders were more likely to suffer moderate to severe injuries than traditional bike riders, highlighting growing public health and safety concerns as e-bike use continues to expand across the state.
One of our most worrying findings was the disproportionate number of children injured in e-bike accidents. Electric bicycles offer valuable transportation and recreational benefits, but their high speeds can result in crash forces more comparable to motorcycles than traditional bicycles, which can result in serious injuries. Families should understand these risks, ensure riders wear properly fitted helmets, and provide appropriate supervision and training. Safety education needs to expand as quickly as e-bike adoption, and safety is our goal in trauma prevention and advocacy. ”
John Austin, MD, general surgery resident and fellow at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, and lead author of the study
Electric bikes have skyrocketed in popularity in recent years because they allow you to travel farther and faster with less physical effort than traditional bicycles. While this growth has expanded transportation options for many people, it has also created new safety challenges, researchers say. Electric bicycles are generally heavier than traditional bicycles and can travel at higher speeds, which can lead to serious injuries in a crash.
To better understand injury trends, researchers analyzed data from the California Highway Patrol’s statewide integrated traffic recording system and looked at crashes involving e-bikes and traditional bicycles from 2018 to 2024. The analysis included 4,035 e-bike crashes and 58,332 traditional bike crashes, making it one of the largest statewide studies of e-bike injuries ever conducted.
Key findings include:
- Reported e-bike crashes in California increased from 2 in 2018 to 1,506 in 2024.
- E-bike riders were younger than traditional bike riders, with a higher proportion of injured riders (15.6% vs. 10.2%) under 14 years of age.
- Moderate to severe injuries were more common among people riding electric bikes than those riding traditional bikes.
- Although overall mortality rates were similar during the study period, researchers observed a significant increase in e-bike-related deaths in 2024.
- E-bike riders were more likely to be involved in violations related to dangerous speeds and improper turns.
- E-bike crashes were more likely to occur in affluent communities than traditional bike crashes.
The researchers say their findings clearly represent a growing public health challenge in e-bike injuries and suggest that safety measures specifically targeted at e-bike riders, rather than traditional cyclists, may be needed.
“Electric bicycles are here to stay and offer tremendous benefits for mobility and recreation,” said Jay Doucette, MD, volunteer clinical professor at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine and professor of surgery at Florida State University Lee Health. “However, our research shows that injuries from e-bikes are increasing dramatically across California, including a disproportionate number of incidents involving children and low rates of helmet use among injured riders. Parents are not sure what they are buying for their children. As trauma surgeons, we will continue to advocate to ensure the benefits of e-bikes are realized while reducing preventable injuries and deaths.”
Researchers say the results support efforts to improve rider education, encourage consistent helmet use, and expand infrastructure designed to protect cyclists. They also point to the potential value of policies that address issues such as age requirements, e-bike classification criteria, and safe riding practices.
Future research will focus on linking traffic accident data with hospital and trauma records to better understand the specific injuries sustained by riders and which prevention strategies are most effective. Researchers also want to assess how new safety regulations and infrastructure improvements affect injury rates over time.
“As the use of e-bikes continues to increase, it will be important to identify which interventions have the greatest impact on preventing serious injuries,” Austin said. “Our goal is not to discourage the use of e-bikes, but to make it as safe as possible for riders of all ages.”
Other co-authors of this study include: Lewis Perkins, MD; Dr. Laura Haynes. Dr. Leslie Kobayashi. Alison Berntson, MD. Jessica Weaver, MD. Jarrett Santorelli, MD. Dr. Amy Liepert of the University of California, San Diego; Dr. Romeo Ignacio of Rady Children’s Health and the University of California, San Diego; Dr. Sigrid Barras, from the University of California, Irvine. Dr. John Marr of Marin Health Medical Center; Dr. Todd Costantini of the University of Minnesota.
sauce:
University of California, San Diego
Reference magazines:
Austin, J. Others. (2026). Electric bicycle injuries are rapidly increasing in California. Open trauma surgery and acute care. DOI: 10.1136/tsaco-2025-002099. https://tsaco.bmj.com/content/11/3/e002099
