Emergency department visits linked to e-bike crashes surged by a staggering 1,810% among children and 760% across all age groups, according to a concerning new analysis.
The sharp increase occurred between January 2023 and August 2026, based on findings from Truveta, a health data company whose records cover more than 140 million patients.
Researchers believe the trend may reflect the growing popularity of electric bicycles. “Our hypothesis is that e-bikes are likely becoming more commonly used, traditional bicycles may not be,” said Dr. Karen Gilbert Farrar, who contributed to the analysis. She pointed to the expanding presence of e-bikes in cities, the popularity of rental programs and the increasing availability of privately owned models.
However, the researchers did not have information showing how many people ride e-bikes or how frequently they use them, making it impossible to calculate injury rates based on ridership.
Truveta recorded 4,769 emergency room visits involving e-bikes during the study period. Conventional bicycles were associated with many more visits — 63,811 in total — but the number of those emergency visits rose by just 7.9%.
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In both categories, injuries to the head and neck were most common, accounting for roughly one-third of emergency visits.
Traumatic brain injuries, including concussions, occurred at nearly identical rates among all riders: 5.8% of e-bike injury visits and 5.6% of traditional bicycle injury visits.
The disparity was more pronounced among children. A traumatic brain injury was diagnosed in 7.8% of pediatric e-bike visits, compared with 6% of visits involving conventional bicycles.
Farrar said helmet use, riding environments and individual behavior may help explain why injury patterns differ between e-bike and traditional bicycle users.
She recalled a conversation with a doctor working in a college town who stressed that e-bikes should carry only one rider. That raised another question for researchers: Could children be more likely to ride with passengers, including others hanging onto the bike?
Fractures were also diagnosed more often after e-bike incidents than after traditional bicycle crashes. Farrar suggested that the greater speed and heavier construction of electric bikes could be contributing factors.