Rising e-bike and e-motorcycle injuries in Minnesota has public officials reminding what exactly is legal headed into spring.
Gillette Children's and Regions Hospital will highlight dangers during a press conference Tuesday morning.
Minnesota state law caps e-bike motors at 750 watts, and top assisted speeds at 28 miles per hour.
But, e-motos on the other hand often have 1,500, 2,000, or even 3,000 watt motors, making them illegal in the state according to Office of Traffic Safety director Mike Hansen.
"When I talk to my counterparts across the country, particularly in the warm weather states, the number of injuries and the severity of the injuries is going up," says Hansen. "And that's a direct result of that weight and speed ratio that e-bikes and e-motors bring into a situation when a crash occurs."
Legislation at the state capitol this session looks to establish strict e-moto regulations as well.
But Hanse says there's already a clear line when it comes to what's legal and illegal in Minnesota.
"Parents need to be very responsible about not only what they are buying, to make sure that it's actually a legal e-bike, but that they are buying it for their 15-year-old or older kids to be using," he adds.
E-bikes were already a concern for police officers statewide last summer, according to what Hansen says.
"One of, if not the number one complaint they fielded last summer, was surrounding e-bike usage," says Hansen. "And who was riding them, what they were doing with them, and where they were riding them. This is a concern to the Department of Public Safety, and specifically the Office of Traffic Safety, because these things quite often are interacting with our roadways and with vehicles out there."
Electric bikes can be fast and dangerous
E-bikes offer a convenient, eco-friendly and cost-effective alternative to cars, but their increasing use is drawing safety concerns. A study by the University of California, San Francisco found that rider injuries from e-bikes nearly doubled each year from 2017 to 2022, and a University of California, San Diego study showed injuries in San Diego among e-bike riders under 18 soared 300% from 2019 to 2023.
Under federal law, most e-bikes are considered nonmotorized vehicles just like traditional bicycles, so riders don't need a driver's license or insurance and they don't have to wear a helmet. But many states have more stringent rules, and regulations vary widely.
Health experts have called for new laws and better enforcement of existing regulations, and officials in many places are taking action.
Not all e-bikes are the same
Many states have adopted a three-tier classification of e-bikes: Class 1 have motors that kick in while riders pedal with maximum speeds of 20 mph; Class 2 have throttles that reach the 20 mph maximum without pedaling; and Class 3 provide pedal-assist up to 28 mph.
There are faster versions available, sometimes called e-motos, that can reach 40 mph even without pedaling. Many states treat these bikes like motorcycles, so they're not allowed on sidewalks or paths, but in some states there are no specific rules for the ultra-fast bikes.
As John Maa, a general surgeon at MarinHealth Medical Center in Northern California, notes, it's basic math that increased speeds lead to increased injuries.
“It’s Newton’s principles, right? Force equals mass times acceleration, and also kinetic energy is mass times velocity squared," Maa said.
