Overview
- Emergency departments have seen a sharp summer rise in child and teen visits for e-bike and e-scooter crashes, with data showing ER injuries climbed steeply between 2023 and May 2026.
- Researchers and clinicians report many crashes now cause motor-vehicle–level trauma such as internal organ damage, spinal fractures, skull injuries, amputations, and traumatic brain injury.
- Experts link the trend to device performance—machines that can reach 15–30+ miles per hour and weigh far more than a pedal bike—so a single fall or collision delivers much greater force to small bodies.
- Child developmental science and social factors increase risk because adolescents have still-maturing impulse control and widespread access from rentals and social-media marketing lowers barriers to use.
- Policy responses are accelerating but patchwork: New Jersey imposed licensing, helmet, age, registration, and insurance rules in mid-July while Massachusetts is advancing the Ride Safe Act and clinicians are urging age limits, universal helmets, speed caps, and bans on sidewalk and playground use.