Don’t Buy Your Child an E-Bike Without Understanding the Risks

New research and county health data released this year point to a sharp rise in serious and fatal e-bike crashes among children and teenagers, pushing doctors, safety researchers and California officials to press for stricter enforcement of existing speed and licensing rules.

A study led by Rady Children’s Health in Orange County, formerly known as CHOC, examined e-bike injuries treated at pediatric emergency departments nationwide between 2019 and 2023. Researchers found that the share of pediatric e-bike injuries linked to speed climbed steadily over that period, rising from roughly 4% of cases in 2019 to nearly half of all cases by 2023. Children hurt in speed-related crashes were far more likely to suffer head, neck or facial injuries than those hurt in other kinds of e-bike incidents, and nearly a quarter sustained internal organ injuries, more than double the rate seen in non-speed-related crashes. The study, published in December in the journal Injury, was the first to isolate speed as a factor in pediatric e-bike trauma.

E-Bike Injury Statistics in Children

At Rady Children’s emergency department alone, e-bike-related trauma visits jumped from 125 in 2024 to 201 in 2025, up from a single case in 2021. By last year, e-bike crashes had overtaken falls and motor vehicle collisions as the leading cause of trauma visits at the hospital. Dr. Laura Goodman, the study’s lead author and a pediatric trauma surgeon at Rady Children’s, said many young riders are operating vehicles that behave more like motorcycles than bicycles without having taken any safety instruction or learned the rules of the road.

Riverside County shows the same trajectory. E-bike crash reports there climbed from 224 in 2023 to 958 in 2025, with at least 416 already logged through the first half of this year, according to data released this month by Riverside University Health System. County coroner’s records reviewed by the health system tied e-bikes to one death in 2024 and two in 2025. Riders between the ages of 10 and 24 account for most of the crashes, and emergency room visits among 10- to 14-year-olds in the county more than doubled between 2024 and 2025, from 155 to 339.

A pediatric surgeon’s viral video urging parents not to buy e-bikes for their children circulated widely on social media this month, drawing responses from parents describing serious injuries and deaths among young riders, according to the New York Post. Health officials caution that the scope of the problem is likely undercounted, since hospitals are still working to standardize how various classes and speeds of e-bikes are recorded in medical records.

Nationally, federal data has tracked a broader rise in micromobility injuries as e-bikes and similar devices have grown in popularity among younger riders. Public health researchers point to motors and batteries capable of speeds far beyond what a traditional pedal bike can reach, combined with a retail market saturated with devices that exceed the power and speed limits of their advertised classification. Inconsistent helmet use among young riders adds to the risk.

California E-Bike Laws and Bike Categories

California law separates e-bikes into three classes. Class 1 and Class 2 bikes are capped at 20 mph, and state law currently does not bar minors from riding them. Class 3 e-bikes can reach 28 mph, require a speedometer, cannot carry passengers, and can only be operated by riders 16 or older. Helmets are mandatory for all riders under 18 regardless of class, and for adults on Class 3 bikes. A December report from the Mineta Transportation Institute at San Jose State University found that at a sample of Northern California middle and high schools, nearly 90% of e-bikes parked on campus did not meet legal specifications, with some carrying motors up to eight times more powerful than state law allows.

Under California law, the owner or operator of any vehicle, including an e-bike, owes a duty of reasonable care to others sharing the road, and a rider or parent who allows a child to operate an illegally modified or overpowered e-bike may face civil liability if that decision contributes to a crash. Civil Code Section 1714 establishes that general duty of care, and a violation of the Vehicle Code’s e-bike classification and licensing requirements can support a claim of negligence per se under Evidence Code Section 669 when that violation causes injury. Manufacturers, retailers and third parties who modify e-bikes to exceed their legal speed classification may also face product liability exposure when those alterations lead to a crash. In cases where a crash proves fatal, surviving family members may pursue a wrongful death claim under Code of Civil Procedure Sections 377.60 and 377.61, while the estate may separately bring a survival action under Section 377.30.

Call J&Y Law for Free Consultations

California law puts a clock on how long families have to pursue an e-bike crash claim. J&Y Law represents injured riders, pedestrians struck by e-bikes, and families who have lost a loved one in these crashes, working on a contingency-fee basis so clients pay nothing unless the firm recovers compensation. Under Code of Civil Procedure Section 335.1, injury victims generally have two years from the crash date to file suit, and that window can pass quickly while a family focuses on recovery. An early case evaluation can help identify all potentially liable parties, including manufacturers, retailers of noncompliant devices, or negligent motorists. Contact J&Y Law for a free, no-obligation consultation before the statute of limitations expires.