E-bike safety in our community

what parents and riders need to know

E-bikes and scooters are becoming a common sight across our community. Kids ride them through neighborhoods. Teens use them to get around town. Adults hop on for quick trips, errands, or nights out. They look familiar, which is part of the problem.

“People treat these like bikes, and they think they’re fun,” says Barry McKenzie, MD, a general surgeon and trauma medical director at Intermountain Health St. Vincent Regional Hospital. “But they don’t realize that they can’t pedal as fast as they go an e-bike, and so the forces that are applied to their body are much greater.”

That difference is starting to show up in emergency rooms. A 2024 American College of Surgeons article describes e-bikes an emerging public health concern, with injuries are rising quickly, especially among children and teens.

E-bikes are very different from regular bikes

The biggest difference is speed.

Many e-bikes can reach up to 28 miles per hour. Some can go even faster if settings are changed. In some cases, they can approach speeds closer to motorcycles than a traditional bike.

That changes how you ride, and what happens if something goes wrong.

At higher speeds, you have less time to react. Cars and pedestrians have less time to see you. The added weight from the motor and battery can also make the bike harder to control, especially when turning, stopping, or riding on wet or uneven roads.

Put simply: the faster you go, the harder you hit.

E-bike injuries are more serious

Most people think of bicycle crashes as scrapes, bruises, or maybe a broken wrist, but E-bike injuries can be very different.

Dr. McKenzie says head injuries are the biggest concern. “We can fix elbows and arms and legs and things, but we can’t fix a bad brain injury,” he says.

National data supports what providers are seeing. Over the past several years, head injuries tied to e-bikes have increased sharply, and they’re more likely to require hospital care than injuries from traditional bikes.

This means e-bikes deserve a higher level of caution.

Helmets are a non-negotiable for e-bike riders

If there’s one step that can make the biggest difference, it’s wearing a helmet every time.

Many riders who come into the ER after a crash weren’t wearing one. Others were wearing standard bike helmets that aren’t designed for higher speeds. Wearing the wrong helmet is more dangerous than you may think.

A typical bike helmet is built for lower-speed impacts, but e-bikes move much faster. At those speeds, riders may need more protection – including helmets with more coverage for the face and sides of the head.

“It’s the brain we can’t fix,” Dr. McKenzie says.

Wearing the right helmet won’t prevent every injury, but it can greatly reduce the risk of a serious head injury.

What are the e-bike laws where you live?

Laws for e-bikes and scooters can vary depending on where you live. In Montana, e-bikes are generally treated the same as regular bicycles. In other areas across the west, rules may differ slightly, especially when it comes to where you can ride, speed limits, and local trail access.

In general, no special license is required. Riders can use many of the same roads, sidewalks, and bike paths as traditional bikes, including roads with speed limits of 35 miles per hour or less.

Because they aren’t regulated like motorcycles or mopeds, there are fewer built-in safety requirements, and that can make it easy to underestimate the risks.

“Kids can ride these devices in many of the same places they ride regular bikes, even though e-bikes move much faster,” Dr. McKenzie explains.

Help kids understand e-bike speeds and obey traffic laws

Many e-bike models have adjustable speed settings. And while you may set limits, those settings can sometimes be changed.

“If you’re a teenager or a preteen, you’re likely going to select the ‘go as fast as I can’ speed,” Dr. McKenzie says.

So before your child rides, make sure they understand how fast the device can go, where they’re allowed to ride, and how to follow traffic laws. That includes stopping at stop signs, watching for pedestrians, and slowing down in crowded areas.

It also helps to talk through what others expect. Drivers and pedestrians may assume a bike is moving slowly. When it’s not, that split-second misunderstanding can lead to a crash.

Avoid risky e-bike riding habits

Most crashes don’t come from one big mistake. They happen when smaller risks add up.

Speed is one of the biggest risk factors. Riding too fast for the environment makes it harder to react and avoid obstacles.

Visibility is another. Riding at night without lights or reflective gear makes it harder for drivers to see you. Dr. McKenzie also points to alcohol use as a concern, especially among adult riders at night. Add in dark clothing, limited lighting, and higher speeds, and the risks increase quickly.

Weather and conditions matter, too. Wet roads can reduce traction. Strong winds can affect balance, especially on scooters. Riding with two people on a device not built for it can also throw off stability.

Parents, check in with your kids before they get on an e-bike or scooter

Before you or your child rides, take a moment to run through a quick safety check:

·     Wear a helmet that fits and matches the speed of the device

·     Turn on the device’s lights, especially at dusk or night

·     Wear bright or reflective clothing

·     Check brakes and tires

·     Know your speed setting

·     Ride one person per device unless it’s designed for more

·     Slow down around cars, people, turns, and wet roads

Ride smarter, stay safer

At Intermountain Health, providers like Dr. McKenzie are seeing how quickly a routine ride in your neighborhood or community can turn into something more serious. But they’re also seeing how preventable many of these injuries can be.

When you understand how these e-bikes and scooters really work, take a few simple precautions, and make safety part of every ride, you can protect yourself and your family.

Dr. Barry McKenzie, MD

More from the Experts at St. Vincent Regional Hospital

About St. Vincent Regional Hospital

Founded on our mission of compassionate care 125 years ago, St. Vincent Regional Hospital, part of Intermountain Health, has grown into one of Montana’s largest comprehensive hospitals, serving the healthcare needs of over 400,000 people in our four-state area. Continuing to respond to the needs of our community, we have been recognized as an innovator in trauma, heart, neurological and cancer care. At St. Vincent and Intermountain Health, our 12 primary care clinics, and specialty clinics in and around the Billings area, our goal is to help you live the healthiest lives possible. This also includes caring for the region's youngest patients. We opened the region's first Pediatric Intensive Care Unit staffed 24/7 by Pediatric Intensivists and the only Pediatric Surgery program serving eastern Montana, northern Wyoming, and the western Dakotas.