E-bike safety top of mind as Connecticut school year approaches
With more children riding e-bikes across Connecticut, local leaders, doctors and state police are urging families to focus on safety as pediatric injuries involving the bikes rise.
Connecticut Children’s Medical Center in Hartford saw 109 pediatric visits related to e-bike injuries last year. So far this year, the hospital has already exceeded that number. At Yale New Haven Health, pediatric doctors are seeing three to four children injured a day from e-bikes.
E-bikes have become increasingly common, with some capable of reaching speeds of nearly 30 miles an hour. Parents say the bikes can get children off their screens and outdoors, but they also worry about safety.
“It looks like a lot of fun, but I wonder if it’s safe fun,” Chester parent Shelley Desetage Wong said.
State Rep. Renee LaMark Muir said she has heard concerns from community members about children riding e-bikes and unsafe behavior on the road.
“I got a lot of complaints and emails and people stopping me in the community,” LaMark Muir said.
She said she’s also noticed a concerning trend involving injuries.
“There’s been a dramatic increase in kids showing up in the ER with e-bike injuries,” LaMark Muir said.
Doctors say the speeds e-bikes are capable of make protective equipment especially important.
“You have to wear a helmet. I can’t emphasize that enough. Head injuries are the most common injuries you’re seeing from these e-bikes,” Dr. Rakesh Mistry, section chief of Pediatric Emergency Medicine with Yale New Haven Children’s Hospital, said.
Ahead of the start of the school year, an e-bike safety program was held to educate parents and children about riding safely.
The Region 4 School District (Chester, Deep River, Essex) wants students to understand the rules and expectations surrounding e-bikes. LaMark Muir said concerns have also come from crossing guards and parents dropping off their children.
“There’s a reminder and that the kids understand that because we’ve gotten complaints from crossing guards and kids dropping their kids off,” LaMark Muir said.
Connecticut State Police also guided participants through a safety course focused on avoiding crashes and injuries on the road.
“Be aware of your surroundings. See if you have stop signs, stop lights. Look around. Look over your back for cars approaching you,” Lt. Adam Litwin said.
Parents said learning that awareness is important as more children take to the roads on e-bikes.
“You want them to have fun, but you also want them to come home safe. You don’t want them to be in an accident,” Wong said.
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