County Public Health Officer Issues Advisory As E-Bike Injuries Mount

SAN DIEGO, CA — San Diego County's public health officer Thursday issued an advisory urging families, physicians and others to offer education and guidance as child injuries and fatalities from electronic bikes continue to increase.

In 2024, county hospitals recorded 865 emergency department visits and 186 hospitalizations related to e-bike-related accidents. Thursday's advisory recommended doctors counsel patients and families on applicable laws, screen for e-bike use during injury and well child visits and encourage safety training programs.

"A public health alert is one of the strongest tools our county has to warn San Diegans when people are getting hurt, and the danger is preventable," said San Diego County Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer. "Far too many kids are ending up in our emergency rooms, and that's not acceptable."

Lawson-Remer and county Public Health Officer Dr. Sayone Thihalolipavan said the increase in injuries comes from a risky combination: many young riders do not know traffic laws and the electronic vehicles can cruise faster than most can pedal -- 20 miles per hour or faster.

Some products are actually so powerful that technically, a user may need a motorcycle license to operate them legally.

"The growing number of severe injuries among young riders makes it clear that deceivingly powerful e-bikes pose a significant danger to children," Thihalolipavan said. "Today we issued a local health alert to raise awareness on the severity of the issue and ask our medical community to routinely screen for e-bike use during injury and well visits by using two specific medical codes.

"It is possible e-bike injuries are being unreported due to being misclassified as non-electric bicycle injuries. Getting better data will help us highlight the seriousness of this public health issue."

Earlier this month, a 12-year-old boy riding an e-bike suffered life- threatening injuries after colliding with a car in Carmel Valley, according to the San Diego Police Department.

Lawson-Remer said she is planning to host several e-bike safety classes in communities throughout San Diego County in the coming months.

"We can keep e-bikes as a fun, healthy way to get around -- but only if we treat safety like it matters," she said.

— City News Service