As electric bikes have become more common across San Diego County, so have serious crashes involving riders younger than 18.
A study from Rady Children's Hospital found that in 2017, less than 2% of serious crashes involving young riders under 18 treated at the hospital involved e-bikes. By 2023, that number jumped to nearly 40%.
“(In 2021) we had three trauma activations related to e-bike accidents. Fast forward to the end of 2025 and the number was 262,” said Dr. Justin Assioun, who treats e-bike injuries at Rady Children's.
A trauma activation means a child arrives with injuries serious enough to bring in an entire emergency team.
But not every child injured on an e-bike meets that criteria, he said.
“If you look at actually all the numbers of the patients who presented with a varying severity of e-bike accidents, that number exceeds 1,000 patients this last year through 2025. And we expect that number to go up,” he said.
Injuries can range from minor scrapes and cuts to life-threatening brain and bone injuries, Assioun said. The risk is often tied to the speed of the bikes.
“We’re putting kids on bikes that travel 20 to 28 miles per hour…and some are modifying them so they’re going 45 or even 50 miles an hour,” he said.
This week, the San Diego City Council’s Public Safety Committee approved a proposal from Councilmember Raul Campillo that would ban children under 12 from operating e-bikes.
The proposed regulations follow a new state law authored by Assemblymember Tasha Boerner, D-Solana Beach. It's a pilot program that allows cities in San Diego County to set their own e-bike safety rules.
Assioun said awareness is also important. He said many parents don’t know about the appropriate protective gear.
“There are different classifications of helmets. One that's out for e-bikes is the NTA 8776, and it's designed to protect against higher impact, collisions, and protect the brain,” he said.
The city’s proposal also calls for safety training and helmets for young riders.
“We don't really put a teenager in a car without having them go through driving school, permitting, certain number of hours with a supervisor,” Assioun said.
The full San Diego City Council is expected to vote on the proposed ebike regulations in the coming months.
