Age and Safety Considerations for Electric Versus Conventional Pedal Bicycles

Abstract

As the number of roadway miles traveled by e-bikes increases, so too does the opportunity for collision-associated injuries. The currently available data is insufficient to distinguish the impact of e-cyclists on roadway safety relative to conventional bicyclists. We examine the relative involvement of e-bikes and conventional pedal bikes in traffic collisions from 2020 to 2024, as reported by two municipal police departments in Orange County, California. Overall, about twice as many incidents involved conventional pedal bicycles as compared to e-bikes, and unsafe speed was the predominant collision factor cited by law enforcement. Though underaged minors comprise approximately 21% of the Orange County population, approximately 58% of all e-bike incidents and 31% of conventional bicycle incidents in the City of Irvine involved 8- to 15-year-old cyclists. Our data suggests that young riders of conventional bicycles and e-bikes could benefit from increased adult supervision, community education, and/or an improved working knowledge of roadway rules.