Whoa! The e-bike driven by a 10-year-old raced down our neighborhood’s snow-covered street this winter. He was towing another young boy on a sled which slid off the icy road and crashed into a mailbox post. My wife and I raced out the door to see if the child was hurt and admonished the boys to slow down and wear helmets when engaging in such high-risk activities. Since this episode, I have witnessed many near-miss accident situations involving e-bikes ridden at fast speeds by kids on busy roads. Janice Edgar recently wrote of her concerns with the safety of e-bikes on the Virginia Beach oceanfront boardwalk (“E-chaos,” Your Views, Aug. 24).
These are the Virginia laws that govern the use of e-bikes. First, there is no special license or registration required for them and there is no age restriction for the use of bikes that travel at 20 mph, double the normal peddling speed. These bikes are allowed anywhere regular bikes can go including busy streets. The e-biker must obey all traffic laws including stopping at stop signs. Helmets are required for all those under age 18 and for the faster Class III e-bikes. I have personally observed many violations of these statutes while observing e-bikers.
Bicycle accidents are a major cause of pediatric injuries, and the numbers are increasing with the advent of e-bikes. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission reported an increase in e-bike injuries of 21% between 2021 and 2022 and that trend is certainly continuing. The Journal of the American Medical Association reported a 49-fold increase in e-bike head trauma cases between 2017 and 2022. Data from 2023 in Virginia reveal 160 bike crashes with severe injuries and nine deaths. The most common serious injuries are head and neck trauma and fractures. Children are particularly vulnerable to these injuries.
There are many factors that contribute to these worsening injury statistics, including ignoring helmet laws and the risks of higher speeds. Regular bike peddlers have long known about the risks of distracted drivers not seeing them on the road. Car drivers now often misjudge the speed of e-bikers. They assume the bikes are moving slowly and pull out in front of them at an intersection.
There is one group of winners from these tragic e-bike accidents in addition to the vendors that sell the bikes. While doing the research for this guest column, the first thing that popped up in the Google search was an ad for a personal injury law firm specializing in e-bike-related injuries.
There is another major reason that e-bikes are a problem for our children. We have an epidemic of childhood obesity, primarily related to poor dietary habits and inactivity. Many kids now spend much more time on computers and phone screens instead of being active outdoors. Now e-bikes have allowed them to pedal less and burn less energy in the precious little time they spend in physical activity. Exercise, including the exertion of peddling a bike, has proven mental health benefits. The consequences of this are obvious as our children become less healthy and the mental health crisis among our youth continues.
What should be done? First, parents please supervise and know what your kids are doing and be aware of the risks of their activities. It is fine to say no when your kids ask for an e-bike. We also need better enforcement of existing laws and new laws governing e-bikes, including restrictions on the age of use and where they can be safely operated.
I am all in favor of our children having fun and enjoying the freedoms of their youth, but their safety must be the top priority.
Bob Newman, M.D., of Norfolk is a family physician with more than 40 years of medical experience. He is the author of a book, “Patient’s Compass,” about how to navigate our complex health care system. Email him at fammedrocks13@gmail.com.
https://www.dailypress.com/2025/09/04/column-supervision-enforcement-help-prevent-e-bike-injuries/
