August 12, 2023 - In joint statement, a total of 20 California bicycle advocacy groups are calling on elected leaders to address the real causes of deadly collisions – road design – and to stop scapegoating e-bikes.
In July 2023, when a van driver in Encinitas, CA, hit a 15-year-old cyclist, who did everything right and later died from his injuries, a New York Times article used his tragic death to advance the theory that teenagers riding e-bikes are behind a rise in collisions.
But the data and evidence clearly show that unsafe infrastructure was behind this and other crashes involving people riding bikes and walking. Vehicular-caused fatalities set a record in California in 2021, with 4,285 lives lost to traffic violence according the statement.
National Highway Traffice Safety Administration (NHTSA) data shows California highway fatalities trending upward since 2010, long before e-bikes became popular. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) data shows a 55% increase in people on bikes dying in traffic collisions from 2010 to 2021, but in fact many more pedestrians than bike riders die in traffic collisions.
A recent study by the Federal Highway Administration found that upgrading a traditional bike lane to a separated bike lane with simple flexible delineator posts cuts a cyclist’s crash risk in half, and crash risk is further reduced with more substantial separation.
While it’s clear that safety for vulnerable road users is an emergency, it won’t be solved by regulating e-bikes.
Read the full statement here.
