With children returning to school and the city of San Diego's new electric bike ordinance about to take effect, health and safety experts Friday took the opportunity to warn parents about the dangers of e-bikes.
At the media event, Anlleyn Venegas of the Automobile Club of Southern California (AAA) demonstrated that danger by dropping two watermelons from waist height.
“To show you guys why it's so important to wear the proper helmet,” she said.
One watermelon was strapped to a helmet; the other was not.
When they hit the ground, the one without the helmet split open.
It’s a graphic demonstration, but Venegas said it’s important to drive the message home.
“It is so important to use the proper helmet that is secured with the chin strap and also that it fits properly,” she said.
AAA hosted the event to help prevent serious injuries among children and teens. As children return to school, more teens rely on e-bikes to travel to and from campus. At the same time, doctors are seeing e-bike injuries among youth rise.
“We're seeing a lot more fractures of the arms and legs, really bad traumatic head injuries, skull fractures, even facial fractures,” said Romeo Ignacio, a trauma doctor at Rady Children’s Hospital.
Ignacio was part of a hospital study showing a dramatic increase in traumatic injuries. Since 2022, pediatric injuries from e-bikes have risen 1,770%.
“It is now the number two reason why we see trauma patients at our children's hospital,” he said. “And these injuries are much more severe than we've ever seen before.”
Because of that, the city of San Diego is following others in the region by enacting e-bike rules. The ordinance was passed in June and goes into effect Aug. 13. It bans children under 12 from riding e-bikes.
It also reinforces helmet requirements and bans the carrying of passengers if the e-bike is not equipped with a permanent second seat.
“Young kids doing wheelies on busy streets have demanded our action,” Councilmember Raul Campillo said in a statement. “These regulations were carefully crafted to promote education-first enforcement, allowing us to put children’s safety first while ensuring older youth still have access to safe, affordable transportation options.”
Under the new city ordinance, there is a 60-day grace period during which police officers will provide education and warnings before citations are issued.
“Our goal is to keep our kids safe and out of the hospital,” San Diego police Cmdr. Ben Kelso said in a statement.
Health and safety officials said the message Friday was not anti-e-bikes but about bike safety.
“Parents need to teach their children safety rules as well as the rules of the road,” Dr. Ignacio said. E-bikes are much faster than traditional pedal bikes. Some can reach speeds of up to 28 mph
“The reality, though, is parents have to ask, ‘Is this the right thing for my child? (Does) my kid have enough experience? Do they know the rules of the road?’” Ignacio said. “I think e-bikes are here to stay. I think there's a lot of pluses for them. But parents need to know is this the right thing for their kids.”
Under the new ordinance, parents can also be held liable for their children’s violations.
