Senior Vice President and Kay Abiouness Distinguished Chief of Clinical Operations at CHKD
More children are riding electric bicycles (e-bikes) and electric scooters (e-scooters), raising important safety concerns for families.
E-scooters typically travel at speeds of 15 to 25 mph. Many e-bikes, which are powered by electric motors, can reach up to 28 mph, and some models can go even faster.
Across the country, an increasing number of children using these micromobility devices are showing up in emergency rooms with injuries severe enough to cause disability or even death.
Consider these statistics from the Consumer Product Safety Commission:
· Children 14 years old and younger make up 36 percent of micromobility injuries from 2017 to 2022.
· Motor vehicle collisions were the leading cause of death related to e-scooters and e-bikes.
· Fractures, followed by contusions and abrasions, are the most common injuries. The most frequently affected areas of the body include the upper and lower limbs, as well as the head and neck.
At CHKD, we’re also seeing an increase in the number of children being treated at our Level I Pediatric Trauma Center for injuries they’ve sustained while riding an e-bike or e-scooter. In 2024, our trauma team treated 11 riders. In 2025, that figure rose to 57.
With traumatic injuries on the rise, we’re urging parents to carefully consider whether their child is truly ready to ride an e-bike or e-scooter. Most young children do not have the experience and skills needed to react quickly and navigate safely around vehicles.
A good rule of thumb is to wait until your teen is old enough to get a driver’s license and understand the rules of the road.
Parents should also weigh whether their child can safely handle high speeds, recognize hazards on the road, and ride in areas where they may be sharing the road with vehicles.
Parents who decide their teen is ready to ride an e-bike or e-scooter should make safety non-negotiable. A helmet can help prevent life-threatening injuries.
A few careful decisions before a child rides can help prevent a tragedy.
