E-Bike Injuries Skyrocketing as Souped-Up Bikes Hit Streets

In June, the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School Professor Itamar Drechsler was seriously injured after being hit on the Schuylkill River Trail by a high-powered e-bike. Drechsler told The Philadelphia Inquirer that the bike had pedals, but it looked like a “cross between a Harley Davidson and a prototype from the Batcave.” 

The growing popularity of e-bikes — along with e-scooters and other types of “micromobility” — has led to a recent increase in reported injuries across the country and within the Philadelphia region. In July, a 14-year-old on an e-bike died in a collision with a vehicle in Somers Point, New Jersey.

What's fueling this increase in injuries and deaths is the type of e-bike becoming more common. According to The Inquirer, the newer cycles are high-powered e-motos that are essentially motorcycles with bicycle pedals. They're available online and can go two or three times faster than legal e-bikes.

Kelly M. Willman, the trauma medical director at AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center, told The Inquirer that her hospital has been witnessing an increase in e-bike and e-scooter injuries. In addition to collisions with vehicles, Willman said, many e-moto riders lose control and strike pedestrians or stationary objects.

“That much speed creates more kinetic energy, and that energy has to go somewhere,” she said. “It gets distributed to the body.”

Experts note that many e-motos are unregistered, often with fake or altered IDs. Law enforcement and public policy are struggling to keep pace with technological advances. The Inquirer noted that many jurisdictions lack clear regulations, enforcement mechanisms, or awareness about the differences between traditional e-bikes and illegal high-powered e-motos.

Additionally, parents purchasing high-powered e-motos for children and a general lack of awareness about their dangers exacerbate safety issues, raising concerns about cycling safety in communities.

Nevertheless, several municipalities are cracking down. The Somers Point Police Department stated over the summer that it would increase enforcement of e-bike rules. Brigantine police followed suit.

In Ocean City, Mayor Jay Gillian noted the community would strictly enforce regulations after witnessing two e-bike riders run a red light. His town had proposed a total ban on e-bikes on the boardwalk, but the town council tabled the matter in June after getting pushback from seniors and cyclists with disabilities, according to The Inquirer.

In August, the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners in Pennsylvania passed an amendment that would increase fines for “misuse” of e-bikes on trails.

As he recovers from his injuries, Drechsler is debating whether cycling in the Philadelphia area is worth the risk. 

According to The Inquirer, “If the Schuylkill River Trail isn't safe, he asked, where is?”