Overview:
As youth e-bike injuries rise, Colorado doctors, police and residents urge for more caution and clearer rules.
Daniela Oakley used to walk Boulder’s bike paths. After a major spinal surgery, she says she no longer feels safe taking that risk.
“I can no longer go walking on the bike paths because of the reckless number of people on e-bikes,” Oakley said. “I’m recovering from a major spinal surgery, and I just can’t take the chance. It’s really scary.”
Oakley said the concern has changed both her daily route and opinion about e-bikes.
“I just think it’s one of these things where it’s a shame that somebody’s going to have to get killed or hurt or terribly injured before they change it,” Oakley said. “I literally have totally changed my whole routine because we don’t go on the bike path anymore.”
Her concern comes as Colorado doctors report a rise in e-bike-related injuries among children and teens.
From January through July, Children’s Hospital Colorado saw more children and teens with traumatic e-bike injuries than it did in all of last year. More than 60 children with e-bike- and e-scooter-related traumatic injuries have already been seen at the organization’s Anschutz Medical Campus.
At a Children’s Hospital Colorado press conference on Aug. 27, Alicia Melvin, an injury prevention and outreach specialist, said the hospital saw a 184% increase in e-bike and e-scooter injuries from 2024 to 2025.
“We know this trend is going to continue to increase,” Melvin said.
Dr. Bailee Olliff, trauma medical director at Denver Health, said she has also seen more injuries involving e-bikes and e-scooters.
“The first biggest thing we see is significant head trauma,” Olliff said. “Trauma to the abdomen from the handlebars, which can cause internal bleeding, bowel perforations and lots of problems.”
Olliff said many of the injuries she sees involve young teens using e-bikes or e-scooters for fun and outside the rules for where and how they are supposed to ride.
“We see a lot of teens using the e-bikes or e-scooters recreationally and not in the parameters they’re supposed to be used,” Olliff said. “The current vendor for most of our e-bikes and e-scooters (Veo) doesn’t require age verification.”
Olliff said many of the injured riders she sees are 13- to 15-year-olds. When riders leave bike lanes, ride on sidewalks or move unpredictably, she said, drivers and pedestrians have less time to see and react to them.
State crash data also points to concerns among younger riders. Since 2024, crashes involving motorized cyclists have occurred most often among 10- to 15-year-olds and 25- to 34-year-olds, according to the Colorado Crash Data Dashboard, which tracks crashes reported to emergency services.
Boulder police traffic Sgt. Byron Scott said part of the problem is confusion over what people are actually riding. Some devices that look like e-bikes may legally function more like e-motos or mopeds, depending on their speed, motor and equipment.
“It’s very confusing,” Scott said. “When you look at the different regulations and different stipulations, it’s very hard to tell them apart.”
That confusion can affect parents buying devices for their children, riders trying to follow the law and officers trying to educate people about where different devices are allowed. Scott said some young riders end up using faster devices in places where they may not be allowed, including certain paths or sidewalks.
Oakley said the rules need to be clearer, especially on paths shared by pedestrians.
“I’m not generally one for big government regulation, but I do believe that the e-bikes should be regulated, and they should be on the street and not on the bike paths because it’s just death waiting to happen,” Oakley said.
Other residents have also noticed the speed difference on shared paths. Jim Kelley of Estes Park said one e-bike rider passed him without warning.
“He did not honk, ring or yell as he approached or passed,” Kelley said. “I was quite startled by the stealth and speed [of the e-bike].”
Olliff said traditional bicyclists and e-bike riders often behave differently because some e-bike riders treat the devices more casually.
“Denver bicycle riders usually stay in the bike lane,” Olliff said. “People see them [e-bikes] as recreational devices rather than vehicles, so I think there’s a casual approach to them.”
That casual approach can lead riders to leave bike lanes, skip helmets or underestimate how quickly they are moving, she said. Olliff and Scott said more education is needed, especially for parents and buyers trying to understand the difference between e-bikes, e-motos and other electric devices.
“Maybe some more truth in advertising,” Scott said.
Boulder police have started leaving informational tags on e-motos parked at schools when officers see them. The tags explain that the vehicle is considered an e-moto, not an e-bike.
Even education can be complicated. Scott said some e-bikes can be modified to go faster than their original class allows.
“Some of the e-bikes you can change the wiring or flip a switch and increase the power output, therefore defeating the fact that it is a class one or two,” Scott said.
Still, Melvin said the goal is not to demonize e-bikes or e-scooters. They can be useful, accessible transportation options, she said, but families and riders need to understand the risks.
“I do want to emphasize that e-bikes and e-scooters aren’t inherently bad or dangerous,” Melvin said. “They are accessible. They are a great option for transportation for many people. But the risk of severe injury is a lot higher, especially for kids and teens.”
