E-bike injuries surge among kids in Tampa Bay and nationwide
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
E-bike sales in the U.S. have more than quadrupled over the past five years, but a spike in ownership has meant a spike in injuries, too.
Why it matters: The result has been evident in emergency departments in Tampa Bay and beyond, particularly among teens and younger riders.
- About 41% of all emergency visits for e-bike injuries in 2024 and 2025 involved patients ages 10 to 19, according to National Electronic Injury Surveillance System estimates.
Stunning stat: Tampa General Hospital last year reported a 500% increase in e-bike injuries involving children since 2023, with kids ages 12–15 most affected.
What they're saying: "What concerns us most is the severity of these injuries," Tampa General pediatric surgeon Jade Kumar said at a recent news conference kicking off AAA's e-bike safety campaign, WUSF reported.
- "Compared to traditional bicycles, children riding e-bikes experience twice the rate of traumatic brain injuries," Kumar said.
- One of Kumar's former patients, 9-year-old Dylan Shepherd of Pasco County, suffered rib fractures, bruised lungs and a torn spleen from an e-bike accident in April.
- The injuries would've been worse, his mother said, had he not been wearing protective gear, per WUSF.
By the numbers: A February analysis by the Tampa Bay Times found that 27 people across Pinellas, Hillsborough and Pasco counties have died riding e-bikes in the last five years.
- The vast majority — 18 — were in Pinellas. Six were in Hillsborough and three were in Pasco.
No federal law regulates e-bike use, leaving states and local governments to set their own rules.
- Gov. Ron DeSantis last month vetoed a bill that would've regulated e-bike speed and behavior around pedestrians.
- It also would've created a task force to "examine and recommend improvements to state law" with the goal of preventing "traffic incidents, injuries and fatalities" involving e-bikes and similar tech, the bill said.
- DeSantis said at a news conference he thought the bill was "a little bit of an overreach," the Tallahassee Democrat reported.
Zoom in: Pinellas could soon enact its own e-bike regulations, Commissioner Brian Scott told Axios.
- After DeSantis' veto, Scott requested that county officials look into drafting an e-bike ordinance and hopes they'll come back with options next month.
- Establishing a minimum age, speed limits and wattage limits tied to age are among his ideas for how to make riding safer.
- "We have to do something," Scott said. "It's really getting out of hand."
Worthy of your time: The American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons offers a list of tips to prevent e-bike injuries, including wearing a helmet every time and putting phones and headphones away while riding.