'It’s a scary thing': Concerns surround the safety of e-bikes as they grow in popularity

EAST AURORA, NY (WKBW) — Electric bikes, more commonly known as e-bikes, are rapidly becoming the popular choice for bike riding, but there is a big concern over the safety of e-bikes for your children or anyone who owns one.

A teenage boy in the Town of Tonawanda who was riding an motorized bike died from his injuries after being hit by a pickup truck on July 23. 15-year-old Luke Guetti was hit near the corner of Woodstock Avenue and Yorkshire Road.

Statistics show more than 46,000 children and adults ended up in the ER with injuries for riding e-bikes from 2017 to 2022.

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“It's a scary thing,” declared Lt. Dustin Waldron, East Aurora Police Department.

East Aurora Police Lt. Waldron tells me e-bike use in the village has become so prevalent, that they decided it was time to be proactive and help parents educate their kids or anyone who has an e-bike.

The department posted a Facebook message in early July to remind you there is a state law for both e-bikes and e-scooters.

“The maximum speed is 25 miles per hour for an e-bike or an e-scooter. They have to ride as far over to the right as possible. if there is no bike lane to utilize,” explained Lt. Waldron.

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Under state law, you must be at least 16 to operate an e-bike and if you're 16 or 17 years old, you must wear a helmet.

“If we were to run into a scenario where a child younger than 16, or 17 was to be riding one of the e-bikes, we would you know make contact with them, make sure we make contact with the parent, advise them of the laws and go from there,” noted Lt. Waldron.

But even while out on Main Street in East Aurora, two kids rode past me, one on an e-bike and he stopped to demonstrate just how fast his tire moves.

I also connected with Kevin Heffernan, communication director of GObike Buffalo at Delaware Park.

"With e-bikes, you know, we want all road users to follow the rules, right? So, e-bikes need to do so and so do cars,” replied Heffernan.

Heffernan tells me while it is vital to teach kids the laws and rules for e-bikes, drivers must pay attention and keep an eye out for anyone on a bike.

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“The way we built our roads for vehicle speed, as our priority, and the way we've tolerated these massive vehicles, we're kind of telling these kids that if they make a mistake, they're going to die for it and that's not always the way it has been and it's not the way it should be in the future,” Heffernan commented.

He is very passionate about seeing a crackdown on drivers violating laws.

“We'd love to see this level of attention on enforcement of traffic safety laws reapplied to vehicle drivers, motor vehicle drivers, and that will begin to start saving lives,” described Heffernan. “I feel like there's been a collective agreement to stop enforcing texting while driving. We're in the middle of a 41-year high in our pedestrian death rate and it's not due to e-bike riders. It's due to distracted driving and humongous vehicles.”

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For now, it seems efforts by East Aurora's Police Department are starting to have an impact.

“Since the post, I personally have seen that children operating the e-bikes has gone down substantially,” responded Lt. Waldron. “The best we can do is advise them how to safely operate these bikes because the last thing you want to see is something tragic occur.”

By law, it’s not a requirement to wear a helmet if you are over the age of 17, but it is always recommended.

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“Wearing a helmet whether you're riding an e-bike or just a bicycle, it's important. We've seen it save lives,” Lt. Waldron stated.

Heffernan agrees helmets should be worn, but he told 7News it can be like a "false sense" of security that it would protect a kid when being hit by a large vehicle.

“We are always encouraging helmet use, especially for the protection of your head in the case of a fall. Unfortunately, you could be wearing a massive helmet and if an F-250 hit you, you still would be killed,” Heffernan commented.