If it feels like e-bikes are everywhere, you are not imagining it. Police were called when dozens of electric bikes and e-motos flooded Bend, Oregon, one afternoon. Two teenagers were seen cruising inside a Walmart in Orange County, California. And in Orlando, security cameras recorded hundreds of riders blocking traffic.
These machines now span a range of classes, from pedal-assist setups to Class 3 bikes that can reach 28 miles an hour. When bikes are modified for extra speed, or when riders use high-torque e-motos and mini bikes, the vehicles are typically treated as motorized machines similar to motorcycles and are generally off-limits to those under 16 without proper licensing.
The rise has a cost. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission counts more than 155,000 ER visits linked to e-bikes from 2017 through 2024, along with over 300 deaths. A University of California, San Diego study of state records shows injuries from e-bike collisions in California climbed from 2 in 2020 to 1,566 in 2024.
Children's hospitals are seeing the shift up close. Rady Children's Health in Orange County has treated 156 pediatric patients from e-bike crashes so far this year, after seeing just one such patient in 2021. "Our orthopedic surgeons have seen types of fractures that they haven't seen before," said Laura Goodman, who oversees trauma services at Rady Children's Health in Orange County. She is calling for expanded education on e-device safety and on helmets certified for e-bike use.
The hardware itself is getting hotter. According to a 2025 San Jose State University study, roughly 90% of e-devices parked at schools in Northern California seemed noncompliant with legal e-bike standards, and some exhibited up to eight times the typical power.
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Officials are moving fast to build guardrails. In July, New Jersey began implementing what it calls the toughest e-bike law in the country, barring anyone under 15. Bloomfield Township, Michigan, voted in September for a six-month ban on kids under 16 riding e-bikes. And starting in January, Illinois will require e-bikes that exceed 28 mph to be titled and licensed, with registration and insurance, and ridden by someone who holds a driver's license.
New York City, powered by a large delivery workforce, is weighing 23 separate bills to rein in the devices. At a recent City Council hearing, testimony stretched for hours while residents objected to delivery riders on e-bikes and e-motos speeding along streets and sidewalks.
Orange County, California, took a page from gun programs and ran a buyback. In September, the district attorney's office distributed gift cards valued at up to $1,000 to people who turned in e-bikes, e-scooters, and e-motorcycles. Hundreds showed up, and many continued to hand over devices even after the gift cards were depleted two hours into the event. Photos from the Orange County District Attorney's Office show stacks of collected devices at Angel Stadium on Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026.
The office of Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer has brought criminal charges against parents in separate cases, including a father whose 12-year-old was critically injured riding an unlawfully modified e-bike and a mother whose 14-year-old, riding an e-motorcycle illegally, struck and killed an 81-year-old veteran. Authorities have similarly pursued cases against parents in states including Arizona and Oregon.
For some families, the risks are no longer abstract. Allister Carlos lost his 15-year-old son, Ethan, in an e-bike crash in La Habra, California, last year. He created the Ethan Carlos Foundation in his memory. "These machines are really dangerous," he said. "It's the next wave of epidemic, up there with guns and school shootings."
Carlos said e-bikes weren't allowed in his home, and he didn't know Ethan and a friend had gone out on a vehicle that isn't legal for street use by riders under 16. While Ethan rode on the back of his friend's Class 3 e-bike, a car struck them from behind, killing both boys. "We didn't know that they had a powerful motorbike like that, and the parents made the decision for us," Carlos said. "They just sent off our son with no helmet, no protection at night." At the Orange County buyback where he shared his son's story, he broke down, thinking how getting these machines off the road could prevent future tragedies.
Parents are also trying to find a middle lane. In Southport, Connecticut, healthcare professional and experienced motorcyclist Katherine Echo Kim purchased an e-bike for Miles after her son turned 13, but only following extensive research. They took an online course together, she set up a cone-marked practice track in a parking lot to teach steering, and she and her husband followed him early on to check his road skills.
Still, she worries about kids riding without helmets and ignoring traffic rules. "Some of these kids have absolutely no training about e-bikes," she said.
Surging demand helps explain the pressure. U.S. e-bike imports surpassed 1 million in 2022 and topped 2 million last year, according to an analysis by eCycleElectric, with industry data from the Light Electric Vehicle Association and eCycleElectric Consultants.
The public leans toward safeguards, not blanket bans. The University of Michigan's CS Mott Children's Hospital surveyed parents of kids 11 to 18 and found most supported safety regulations like helmet requirements and training, while only 11% backed an outright ban. Christine Berube, a mom in suburban Maryland, said she ultimately opted for a Class 2 bike with a top speed around 20 miles per hour for her son. "It gives him that ability to hop on and go to Chipotle and meet a friend," she said.
If you or your kid rides, expect tougher rules to change the calculus: age minimums, licensing and insurance for faster models, and even local moratoriums. That can shape where these bikes can legally go, what they cost to operate, and whether households feel comfortable buying in. Hospitals, schools and city halls are signaling this is a long-term shift, not a summer fad. For your budget, that means factoring in compliance costs and the right safety gear for any e-bike purchase, and for your neighborhood, it means paying attention as local policies evolve.
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