E-Bike Related Head Trauma is On the Rise as Helmet Use Falls

Despite a large rise in E-bike use in the past few years, helmet use has decreased. A new study in JAMA Surgery found that only 44% of E-bike riders presenting with injuries were wearing helmets. These trends have led to a 49 fold increase in the number of hospitalized patients with head trauma from E-bikes between 2017 and 2022. A major concern addressed by researchers is that children are increasingly presenting with head trauma from E-bikes, because despite the fact that these devices are not intended for young children to use, children are increasingly riding them anyway, and they often aren’t wearing helmets. Physicians cited in the article recommend stricter regulations on E-bike use by children and on helmet wearing in general to reduce the rates of head traumas that they are causing.

To read the full article from Ronnie Cohen of NPR, click here.