If you’ve been on vacation or kept your eyes peeled around town recently, you’ve probably ridden or watched an e-bike in action.
The power and speed of an electric bike may seem appealing when you’re zipping down a beachside boardwalk or watching a rider haul their groceries across town with ease on their bike. But in emergency departments across the nation, including the ED at CommonSpirit St. Anthony Hospital in Lakewood, the e-bike’s popularity is having a less-than-appealing impact.
“In the emergency department, we’re witnessing a troubling surge in severe injuries linked to electric bicycles, or e-bikes,” said Dr. Brian Blackwood, a trauma and general surgeon who serves as trauma medical director at St. Anthony’s Level 1 Trauma Center. “These aren’t your typical bumps and bruises from a bicycle fall — for seniors, the crashes can be catastrophic, mirroring the devastating injuries seen in motorcycle accidents.”
E-bike risks are especially significant for seniors, children, and teens, who are increasingly experiencing related accidents and injuries. Dr. Blackwood shared these e-bike safety tips for riders in Denver and beyond.
CommonSpirit Health is a dedicated, mission-driven healthcare system that operates clinics and hospitals across 21 states, providing comprehensive healthcare services to diverse communities.
What Is An E-Bike?
While electric bikes look like traditional bicycles, they actually come equipped with batteries and motors that kick in when a rider starts to pedal or uses the throttle. The electric components offer greater speed and power to a rider without requiring increased effort.
But e-bikes aren’t just slightly-enhanced bicycles, Dr. Blackwood cautioned. These bikes generally weigh about twice as much as traditional bicycles, he said, and some offer a throttle that makes them even harder to control.
While a traditional bike may reach up to 10 or 15 miles per hour, most e-bikes can go 20 miles per hour, with certain models hitting up to 28 mph.
“This increase in speed directly translates to increased force upon impact when a rider crashes,” Dr. Blackwood said. “More force, as we know, means more severe injuries.”
E-bike risks aren’t just reflected in Dr. Blackwood’s experience or the cases at St. Anthony. The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) recorded a massive leap in e-bike-related fatalities from 2017, with zero fatalities, to 2024, when the organization recorded 97 e-bike-related deaths.
Many of those deaths were associated with “control issues,” meaning the rider crashed into another object or hit a curb. Still, the main cause of e-bike-related deaths was collisions with cars.
In a summer 2026 analysis, the health data organization Truveta found that rates of e-bike- and e-scooter-related emergency department visits increased across all age groups between 2023 and May 2026. Head and neck injuries were the most common injury diagnoses during these visits.
The E-Bike Risks Seniors and Children Face
E-bikes can be incredibly appealing to the young and old alike. For seniors, e-bikes may offer a way to stay active and connect with the outdoors, even as personal mobility or strength begins to diminish. For young people who can’t drive on their own, e-bikes can increase independence and mobility, or simply offer a fun new experience with friends.
However, the same mechanisms that make an e-bike an easier, more enjoyable transportation option can also make it more dangerous.
“While e-bikes offer an appealing solution for many seniors seeking to maintain an active lifestyle, the alarming reality is that their growing popularity has unleashed an unprecedented safety crisis, particularly for our older population,” Dr. Blackwood said.
The increased speed and weight behind an e-bike can turn a minor crash into a much more major event. For older adults who use blood-thinning medications, a crash or collision can cause a major head injury or internal bleeding event.
“The heavier weight of an e-bike, combined with its velocity, creates a perilous combination, especially for individuals who may have slower reaction times, reduced balance, or weakened bone density,” Dr. Blackwood said.
Of course, children and teens are also experiencing the full impact of e-bike risks. Truveta’s analysis found that between early 2023 and early 2026, the most significant jump in e-bike- and e-scooter-associated emergency department visits occurred among kids under 18, who saw a 7.5-fold increase in related ED visits.
That increase alone sounds worrying, but it’s compounded further by the types of injuries ED professionals are seeing.
“These are injuries that could change a child’s life forever, or even take it away,” Dr. Blackwood said. “Medical providers are seeing a significant number of children coming in with head, neck, and facial trauma. Some studies even show young e-bike riders have a two-times increase in traumatic brain injuries, a three-times increase in facial fractures, and nearly a five-times increase in intracranial bleeding.”
Family and Senior E-Bike Safety
The most important step in protecting yourself or your family members from e-bike risks is to treat these machines as you would motorcycles or dirt bikes.
Like these vehicles, e-bikes are powerful machines that merit care and caution. Parents should ensure that their e-bike-curious children understand how heavy, powerful, and fast an e-bike truly is, Dr. Blackwood said.
If you’re considering an e-bike for yourself or your child, you should also thoroughly research the three available classes of e-bike. With an array of speed and control capabilities available between the classes, Class I e-bikes are likely the safest option, Dr. Blackwood noted.
Of course, like motorcycles or dirt bikes, e-bikes also require a certain level of protective gear for riders. Dr. Blackwood recommends sturdy shoes, gloves, protective knee and elbow pads, and, above all, an appropriate helmet. The right helmet will sit level on your head and will feel secure when you shake your head around.
Riders with bikes that go above 20 mph should also consider NTA 8776-certified helmets, which meet a Dutch safety standard for e-bikes and offer greater head protection, as well as helmets with rotational impact protection.
If you’re a parent to an e-bike rider, you should practice riding with your child in a safe area, allowing them to learn the ins and outs of their new machine without hurting themselves.
Like any cyclist, e-bike riders must also practice a high level of awareness and defensiveness on the road or trails. While cars are a significant driver of e-bike-related injuries, e-bikers can also easily hit and injure pedestrians. Be sure to obey traffic laws, stay alert, and respect other bikers and drivers.
“Knowing these risks and following the tips outlined here can help us reduce the incidence and severity of injuries,” Dr. Blackwood said. “This will allow our children [and seniors] to truly enjoy their bikes the way they were designed to be enjoyed.”
