The laws regarding e-bikes and their operation are on the books in Utah, and they’re pretty straightforward.
Still, police say they’re seeing increasing numbers of young riders violating those rules of the road.
Meanwhile, emergency room doctors throughout the state say they’re seeing a big jump in the number of injuries with e-bikes and e-scooters.
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Dr. Katie Russell has been a pediatric trauma surgeon at Primary Children’s Hospital for nearly a decade and said it’s a big problem.
“Over the last three years, we have seen an exponential rise in the number of e-bike and e-scooter injuries," she said.
Russell says roughly one out of three traumas the hospital is seeing right now are from an e-bike or an e-scooter accident.
Draper City Police Lt. Mike Elkins says officers are usually the first responders.
“We have seen an uptick. As a matter of fact, probably in the last 30 days we’ve had two serious accidents, both involving e-motorcycles," he said.
And with a new school year approaching, Elkins said a big problem is kids riding e-bikes to school and riding them on the road.
“You’re going to see our police officers out there, by the schools. We hope we can educate instead of taking enforcement.”
Elkins said parents really need to make sure their children know and obey the e-bike rules of the road.
“If you were going to provide this to your kid, make sure you know what the laws are.”
Dr. Russell agrees.
“The recent legislation that we just helped to get across in Utah is a really good move in the right direction. But this is a major problem, not only in Utah but nationally," she said.
And because e-bikes and motorcycles can go so much faster than a traditional bike, Russell said proper safety gear is essential, especially when it comes to helmets.
“I’m not talking about a bike helmet; I’m talking about like a full-face motocross helmet to make sure these kids are appropriately protected," she said.
