On Christmas Day, Jade Sharpe watched as her 13-year-old daughter Kennedi Chandler took her brand-new e-bike – capable of going about 20 mph – for a spin in their Indiana neighborhood. Her parents had a plan to get Kennedi a key piece of safety gear. However, they didn’t have the heart to say no when, on the unseasonably warm holiday, she asked to ride the electric bike she’d begged them for – without a helmet.
Less than two hours later, the teenager hit the pavement. The next thing Sharpe knew was flashing lights, and then her heart sank. Sharpe told the outlet that she just knew something was wrong.
Kennedi sustained a traumatic brain injury and spent the next 20 days in the hospital, 14 in intensive care. Doctors had to remove part of her skull to quell the swelling and bleeding in her brain.
These aren’t your typical bicycles. Their colors are sleeker. Their tires are bigger. And, most importantly, they’re outfitted with motors that can power them to speeds exceeding 30 mph, making them a type of tiny but powerful machine that requires caution.
Several cases this year in California highlight the risks: In Fresno, a 13-year-old died and two other children were seriously injured in two separate e-bike crashes, police said. In Garden Grove, a 13-year-old boy died after approaching a curve at around 35 mph and colliding with a center median while riding what authorities said was an electric motorcycle.
The Lake Forest boy’s mother – who prosecutors say was previously warned it was illegal for her son to ride the e-motorcycle – now faces an involuntary manslaughter charge. Meanwhile, the Orange County district attorney has filed child endangerment charges against three parents this year for allowing children to ride electric motorcycles illegally, calling the devices “deadly weapons.”
As gas prices rise, many in the cycling community have praised e-bikes as an eco-friendly and active alternative to other forms of transportation. But the spate of recent crashes involving children and teens – some riding high-powered motor vehicles they are not legally allowed to use – has prompted moves toward more regulation on the roads, transparency among sellers and a closer look by parents at what their children are really riding.
E-bike-related injuries on the rise
Atlanta emergency room physician, Dr. Darria Long, has become all too familiar with e-bike-related injuries in the last five to 10 years – including head injuries, fractures, concussions, chest injuries, cardiac arrest and even death.
Families who didn’t realize the power of the bikes or motor vehicles their children were riding were often surprised to find themselves in an emergency room, the doctor said. They thought their kid was just doing something fun. They thought that by giving them a helmet, maybe they prevented all injuries – and then they’re devastated, because every parent loves their child, and they don’t want to see their child being injured. And they didn’t know, Long said.
Between 2017 and 2024, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission documented 533 micromobility fatalities – a category that includes e-bikes, e-scooters and other small electric vehicles – rising from five in 2017 to 135 in 2024. Emergency department visits quadrupled in the same period, from 37,300 to 149,100, according to the commission’s report, published in April.
E-bike deaths alone rose from zero in 2017 to 97 in 2024. Children between the ages of 11 and 14 accounted for 61.7% of e-bike and e-motorcycle crashes, and injuries have spiked 430% in the last four years in Southern California alone, data cited by the Orange County District Attorney’s Office show.
Regulation and safety concerns
There is an important distinction between electric bicycles and electric motorcycles, said Matt Moore, general counsel for PeopleforBikes, a national cycling coalition. Electric bicycles have been heavily regulated for over 20 years. They are consumer products. They are subject to safety regulations, recalls and they’re defined in federal and state laws everywhere, Moore said.
Motorized bicycles that exceed certain speeds and mopeds are placed into a different classification by most states, with age and licensing requirements. But those distinctions haven’t broken through to consumers, many who seek out electric bicycles and go home with electric motorcycles, Moore said. They are often unaware of the differences and the associated risks, which is similar to how an outbreak can spread quickly due to lack of awareness.
The confusion isn’t limited to consumers. We have a lot of officers who really can’t tell the difference between an e-bike and an e-motorcycle, Huntington Beach, California, Police Sgt. Mike Thomas said at a statewide e-bike safety symposium this week. So, how is a parent going to be able to tell the difference?
Some online sellers are perpetuating the confusion, Moore told the outlet. They don’t tell you what you’re buying, or they claim that it’s a street-legal product – so you can limit this device to 20 miles per hour, but you can also go 65 miles per hour – and they sell that as street legal.
According to the Federal Trade Commission, consumers should be aware of the safety standards and regulations surrounding e-bikes and e-motorcycles. This is crucial in preventing accidents and ensuring the safe use of these vehicles, much like the importance of proper laboratory equipment in scientific research.
Last week, Amazon announced it would halt sales of e-bikes in California that exceed state limits, requiring third-party sellers to comply with California law and removing noncompliant listings.
For anxious parents who want to keep their own kids safe, Dr. Long has some advice: Never let children ride e-bikes on public streets; avoid modifications – bikes are sold with speed limits for a reason, and; outfit kids in full protective gear, including a motorcycle helmet and leather covering arms and legs.
Kennedi is now finishing her last round of occupational, physical and speech therapy. She’s playing soccer again and is excited to get back on a bike – this time, her mom said, with a helmet.
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