Authorities are cracking down on the latest teenage craze wreaking havoc in communities across the US: e-bikes.
Police were called when dozens of e-bikes and e-motos swarmed the streets of Bend, Oregon, on a recent afternoon. In Orange County, California, two t
eens were seen motoring through a Walmart. Security cameras in Orlando captured the chaotic scene when hundreds of riders blocked traffic.
Zipping along at up to 28 miles an hour, e-bikes and similar vehicles have become fixtures on American roads in recent years. But as they have caught on with younger riders, the dangerous — and sometimes deadly — consequences of reckless riding have been magnified.
E-bikes were responsible for more than 155,000 emergency room visits from 2017 through 2024, as well as over 300 deaths, according to the US Consumer Product Safety Commission. In California alone, the number of injuries from e
-bike collisions rose from two in 2020 to 1,566 in 2024, according to a study by the University of California, San Diego.
Government officials are now rushing to address the problem with age-related bans, licensing requirements and other restrictions. In July, New Jersey began implementing the toughest e-bike law in the nation, banning anyone u
nder age 15 from using them. One California community even resorted to the type of buyback program more often used to get guns off the street.
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The potential for tragedy is all too familiar to Allister Carlos, whose 15-year-old son, Ethan, was killed in an e-bike accident in La Habra, California, last year.
“These machines are really dangerous,” Carlos, who has started a foundation to honor his son’s memory, said in an interview. “It’s the next wave of epidemic, up there with guns and school shootings.”
E-bikes have proliferated in the US in recent years, offering affordable transportation for commuters, delivery drivers and everyday enthusiasts. Spurred in part by rising interest in outdoor activities during the pandemic loc
kdown, US imports of e-bikes surpassed 1 million in 2022, according to an analysis by eCycleElectric. That figure topped 2 million last year.
They’re generally divided into classes based on capabilities, from Class 1, which just boosts pedal power, up to Class 3, which can travel as fast as 28 miles an hour. Bikes modified to go faster, along with e-motos and mini bikes wi
th high-torque motors, are typically treated as motorized vehicles, similar to motorcycles, and are generally not legal to operate by those under 16 years old and without proper licensing.
Katherine Echo Kim, a healthcare professional and experienced motorcycle rider in Southport, Connecticut, overcame her initial reservations and bought her
son Miles an e-bike after he turned 13. She did extensive research. The two took an online class together and she and set up a course in a parking lot laced with cones to teach him to properly steer.
Kim and her husband even followed Miles on the street to ensure he was riding safely early on. Yet she still worries about how many young riders she sees without helmets and ignoring the rules of the road, she said. “Some of these kids have absolutely no training about e-bikes.”
The dangers are real. Rady Children’s Health in Orange County, California, has treated 156 pediatric e-bike crash patients so far this year, a sharp increase from just one in 2021.
Many e-bikes are often modified to increase power and speed. A 2025 study by San Jose State University showed around 90% of e-devices parked at Northern California schools didn’t appear to meet the legal e-bike requirements, with some having as much as eight times the normal power levels.
“Our orthopedic surgeons have seen types of fractures that they haven’t seen before,” said Laura Goodman, trauma medical director at Rady Children’s Health in Orange County. She wants more education on e-device safety and for riders to wear helmets specifically rated for e-bikes.
