As e-bike fatalities surge by staggering percentages across the globe, a hidden crisis is accelerating on our streets and bike lanes.
Key Takeaways
- In 2022, there were 91 e-bike rider fatalities in the United States, a 98% increase from 46 in 2021
- E-bike fatalities in California reached 17 in 2022, up from 6 in 2021 according to state highway patrol data
- New York reported 26 e-bike fatalities in 2023, nearly double the previous year's count
- In New York City, e-bike injuries reached 1,135 in 2023, up 142% from 2022
- US emergency departments treated 31,372 e-bike injuries in 2022
- California hospitals saw 4,600 e-bike related injuries in 2022
- Collisions with vehicles caused 42% of e-bike injuries in US 2022
- Loss of control due to speed was factor in 35% of e-bike accidents, EU 2022
- Alcohol impairment involved in 18% of fatal e-bike crashes US 2022
- E-bike riders aged 40-59 accounted for 38% of fatalities US 2022
- Males comprised 88% of e-bike fatalities in US 2022
- Over 65 age group: 29% of e-bike injuries in Europe 2022
- E-bike sales grew 240% from 2019-2022 correlating with 500% injury rise US
- E-bikes 3.5 times more likely to cause serious injury than bicycles per crash, US 2022
- E-bike accidents up 225% in NYC 2019-2023 vs 10% for bikes
E-bike fatalities are rising alarmingly fast across the United States and Europe.
Causes
- Collisions with vehicles caused 42% of e-bike injuries in US 2022
- Loss of control due to speed was factor in 35% of e-bike accidents, EU 2022
- Alcohol impairment involved in 18% of fatal e-bike crashes US 2022
- 28% of e-bike accidents caused by poor road conditions, NYC 2023 data
- Distracted riding (phone use) in 22% of e-bike injuries, US study 2022
- Hitting potholes caused 15% of e-bike crashes in urban areas 2022
- No helmet use in 74% of hospitalized e-bike crash victims, US 2022
- Motor failure or battery issues in 7% of e-bike accidents, Germany 2022
- Right-hook maneuvers by cars caused 25% of e-bike/vehicle collisions, UK 2022
- Overloading e-bikes led to 12% of tip-over accidents, Australia 2023
- Nighttime riding without lights in 31% of e-bike fatalities, US 2022
- Illegal modifications (speed hacks) in 19% of severe crashes, Netherlands 2022
- Dooring incidents: 11% of urban e-bike accidents, Chicago 2023
- Fatigue-related errors in 9% of long-distance e-bike crashes, EU data
- Intersection failures caused 38% of e-bike/vehicle crashes, California 2022
- Brake failure in 6% of e-bike accidents due to wet conditions, UK 2022
- Sidewalk riding violations led to 14% of pedestrian collisions, NYC 2023
- Speeding beyond limits in 41% of police-reported e-bike crashes, Sweden 2022
- Visibility issues (clothing) in 23% of dark-hour accidents, Canada 2022
Causes Interpretation
Despite their electric assist, the grim calculus of e-bike safety reveals that our most common enemies remain the classic, unpowered trifecta of human error, inadequate infrastructure, and failing to share the road responsibly.
Demographics
- E-bike riders aged 40-59 accounted for 38% of fatalities US 2022
- Males comprised 88% of e-bike fatalities in US 2022
- Over 65 age group: 29% of e-bike injuries in Europe 2022
- Urban males 25-44: 45% of NYC e-bike injuries 2023
- 72% of US e-bike crash victims were male riders 2021-2022
- Seniors (65+) represented 22% of e-bike hospitalizations Germany 2022
- Delivery workers (mostly male, 18-35) in 60% of NYC fatal crashes 2023
- Females: only 12% of e-bike fatalities worldwide 2022 meta-study
- Age 18-24: 28% of US e-bike ED visits 2022
- Hispanic riders: 25% of California e-bike injuries 2022
- Low-income zip codes: 55% of Chicago e-bike accidents 2023
- 35% of Dutch e-bike crash victims over 75 years old 2022
- Black riders: 18% of urban US e-bike fatalities 2022
- Professional delivery riders: 40% of severe injuries UK 2022
- Children under 16: 8% of e-bike injuries Australia 2023
- Males 50+: 32% of European e-bike deaths 2022
- Immigrant populations: 30% higher e-bike crash rates Sweden 2022
- Age 30-49: 42% of Florida e-bike injuries 2022
- Uninsured riders: 65% in fatal crashes Texas 2023
- Females under 30: only 5% of total e-bike accidents US 2022
Demographics Interpretation
It appears that e-bike safety is not a universal story, but rather a starkly gendered and demographic one, where the typical victim profile is an urban, working-age male, while the risks also sharply increase for seniors on leisure rides and young delivery workers racing against the clock.
Fatalities
- In 2022, there were 91 e-bike rider fatalities in the United States, a 98% increase from 46 in 2021
- E-bike fatalities in California reached 17 in 2022, up from 6 in 2021 according to state highway patrol data
- New York reported 26 e-bike fatalities in 2023, nearly double the previous year's count
- From 2017 to 2021, e-bike fatalities in the US rose by 710%, from 4 to 32, per NHTSA
- In Europe, 47 e-bike rider deaths were recorded in 2021 across EU countries
- Hawaii saw 2 e-bike fatalities in 2022, both involving collisions with vehicles
- E-bike fatalities accounted for 6% of all cyclist deaths in the US in 2021
- In 2023, 11 e-bike fatalities occurred in Florida, a 175% increase from 2022
- Germany reported 24 e-bike fatalities in 2022, primarily among seniors
- US e-bike fatalities totaled 104 in 2023 preliminary data
- Austin, TX had 3 e-bike fatalities in 2023
- E-bike deaths in the Netherlands were 18 in 2022, up 20% from 2021
- 2022 saw 7 e-bike fatalities in Washington state
- In the UK, 9 e-bike fatalities occurred in 2023
- E-bike fatalities in Canada rose to 12 in 2022 from 5 in 2021
- Chicago reported 5 e-bike fatalities in 2023
- From 2018-2022, 243 e-bike fatalities nationwide in US
- E-bike fatalities per million miles traveled were 0.42 in 2022 US
- 15 e-bike fatalities in Australia 2022-2023
- Portland, OR had 4 e-bike deaths in 2023
- E-bike rider fatalities doubled in Sweden from 10 in 2021 to 20 in 2023
- 2021 US e-bike fatalities: 38 riders, 7 passengers
- Miami-Dade County: 2 e-bike fatalities 2023
- E-bike fatalities in Belgium: 12 in 2022
- 2022 preliminary: 96 US e-bike fatalities
- Los Angeles: 6 e-bike fatalities 2023
- E-bike deaths in Norway: 5 in 2023
- 28% of 2022 US cyclist fatalities were e-bike riders
- Seattle: 3 e-bike fatalities 2022-2023
- In 2023, e-bike fatalities in Texas reached 14
Fatalities Interpretation
The data screams that as e-bike adoption surges, our infrastructure and safety culture are pedaling furiously just to stay in place, with tragic results.
Injuries
- In New York City, e-bike injuries reached 1,135 in 2023, up 142% from 2022
- US emergency departments treated 31,372 e-bike injuries in 2022
- California hospitals saw 4,600 e-bike related injuries in 2022
- E-bike injuries in NYC increased 380% from 2019 to 2023 to over 18,000 incidents
- From 2017-2021, US e-bike injuries rose 232% to 13,665 annually
- UK reported 1,857 e-bike casualties in 2022
- Hospital admissions for e-bike injuries in Australia doubled to 1,022 in 2022
- Germany: 8,496 e-bike injury accidents in 2022
- E-bike injuries in emergency rooms: 25,135 in US 2021
- Los Angeles County: 2,100 e-bike injuries 2023
- Netherlands: 3,500 e-bike injury claims in 2022
- 77% of e-bike injuries in US 2022 required hospitalization
- Chicago: 450 e-bike injuries 2023
- E-bike head injuries: 40,000 US cases 2017-2022
- Florida: 1,800 e-bike injuries 2022
- Pediatric e-bike injuries in US: 1,360 in 2022, up 70%
- E-bike arm fractures: 12% of all injuries in EU 2022
- Washington DC: 750 e-bike injuries 2023
- 65% of e-bike injuries involve riders falling off, US data 2022
- Sweden: 2,100 e-bike injuries 2022
- E-bike orthopedic injuries: 52% of total in 2022 studies
- Boston: 300 e-bike injuries 2023
- 22,159 e-bike injuries treated in US EDs 2010-2020
- E-bike spinal injuries: 8% of cases, rising 150% since 2019
- Philadelphia: 500 e-bike injuries 2023
- Facial injuries from e-bikes: 15% in Canada 2022 data
- E-bike injuries per 100,000 population: 12.5 in urban US 2022
- 40% of e-bike injuries in seniors over 65, Netherlands 2022
- Portland: 250 e-bike injuries 2023
Injuries Interpretation
The statistics scream that as e-bike popularity has electrified our streets, our collective safety habits have clearly failed to keep pace, resulting in a shockingly predictable—and preventable—global surge in injuries.
Trends and Comparisons
- E-bike sales grew 240% from 2019-2022 correlating with 500% injury rise US
- E-bikes 3.5 times more likely to cause serious injury than bicycles per crash, US 2022
- E-bike accidents up 225% in NYC 2019-2023 vs 10% for bikes
- Fatality rate for e-bikes 10x higher than scooters per mile US 2022
- Injuries per e-bike registered: 2.1 annually in California 2022 vs 0.5 for bikes
- E-bike crash rate 40% higher in urban vs rural US 2022
- Helmets reduce e-bike head injury severity by 69%, meta-analysis 2023
- E-scooter injuries fell 15% while e-bike rose 40% US 2022
- Post-pandemic e-bike fatalities up 400% in Europe 2020-2023
- E-bikes involved in 15% of cyclist crashes UK 2023 vs 2% in 2019
- Cost of e-bike injuries: $1.4 billion annually US estimate 2023
- E-bike vs pedal bike: 2.8x hospitalization rate 2022 data
- Global e-bike accidents projected to double by 2027
- Speed class 3 e-bikes 50% more crash-prone than class 1 US 2022
- E-bike injuries peaked summer months, 45% June-Aug US 2022
- Compared to motorcycles, e-bikes have 25% lower fatality rate per mile 2022
- Rental e-bikes 3x more accident-prone than personal US cities 2023
- E-bike market growth 33% CAGR tied to 25% annual accident increase
- Night crashes 4x deadlier for e-bikes than daytime US 2022
- E-bikes now 20% of bike lane conflicts in Netherlands 2023 vs 5% 2018
- Insurance claims for e-bikes up 300% in Australia 2020-2023
- E-bike vs car crashes: e-bike fault in 62% cases urban 2022
- Throttled e-bikes show 35% higher injury rates than pedal-assist, EU 2023
- E-bike accidents declined 10% in helmet mandate cities 2023 pilots
Trends and Comparisons Interpretation
The surge in e-bike popularity is offering a jolting reminder of Newton's first law: an object in motion—especially at 20 mph without a helmet in an urban summer—tends to stay in motion until met with a statistically grim reality.
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