Jeremiah Amaku, right, test rides an electric bike at the Coliseum BART station parking lot in Oakland during a community test and ride event on Nov. 8.

The popularity of electric bikes rose dramatically during the past decade, particularly among teenagers and younger adults. Unfortunately, this surge has brought tragedy as well. Surgeons around the world have witnessed a serious pattern of e-bike injuries and deaths from the higher speeds that reduce the reaction time needed to avoid crashes. 

In New York City, bicycle deaths reached a 24-year high of 30 in 2023; 23 of those who died were riding e-bikes. 

Compared to pedal bicycles, e-bike accidents are more likely to injure and kill pedestrians. Head trauma from e-bike accidents has increased 49-fold nationally from 2017 to 2022, and e-bike incidents in California between 2018 and 2023 increased more than 18-fold. 

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In Marin County, a study in 2024 revealed that nearly 1 in 8 e-bike trauma patients brought to the emergency room by ambulance died from their injuries. Overall, the death rate for e-bike accidents was 37 times higher than that for crashes with pedal bicycles. 

In response to this growing crisis, the American College of Surgeons, the

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