Doctor Urges Caution with Electric Bikes and Scooters

CLEVELAND - As electric bikes and scooters grow in popularity, so does the number of injuries. 

Emergency departments across the U.S. are seeing more kids for related accidents.

“Often, I see patients who come in from a wide variety of injuries, from something as simple as a fracture, which is painful, but then the other extreme which we see are patients who come in with traumatic brain injuries, head bleeds, skull breaks, and those require many more interventions and sometimes can be fatal as well,” said Purva Grover, MD, pediatric emergency medicine physician at Cleveland Clinic Children’s.

Dr. Grover said many times patients will tell her they were wearing a helmet, but it’s the wrong kind. 

Bicycle helmets will not provide the protection needed when going at a high rate of speed.

Instead, it’s best to buy a helmet designed specifically for electric bikes and scooters.

Dr. Grover said that besides proper protection, it’s also important to talk to your kids about the rules of the road. 

“Kids think sometimes that they can zoom around and go from sidewalk to road, and it's just like having a bike. But because of how fast they can go, because of the enormous inertia, they can be hit by other cars, which is something we see very commonly,” she said.

Dr. Grover said before you buy your child an electric bike or scooter, be sure to check the laws in your community.

Some cities are starting to implement bans and other restrictions.