Marin Reports Decline in Youth E-Bike Crashes, But There’s Still a Long Way to go.
The annual rate of crashes involving youths riding electric bicycles in Marin County has declined 28% since 2024, according to new data.
The decline is encouraging, but the rate for the 10-to-15-year-old age group is still nearly four times greater than any other in Marin, underscoring that youth education around e-bike safety remains a top public health priority, county officials said.
As students prepare to return to school — many of them traveling on two wheels — officials are reminding youths and their parents about what they can do to lower the risk of injury.
“We’re not trying to get kids off bikes; we want more of them riding safely,” said Marin County Supervisor Mary Sackett, who has led the Marin County Special Committee on Youth E-Bike Safety. “E-bikes offer benefits for student health and our schools when ridden safely and responsibly. We want to make sure every rider is ready for the road.”
The popularity of e-bikes exploded during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the trend continues among youths in Marin County. According to emergency response data, the county had a 110% increase in calls about crashes involving youths and all bike types between 2019 and 2022.
In 2023, e-bike riders between 10 and 15 years old had a five times higher crash rate than other age groups.
“When Marin County first began focusing on e-bike safety in 2021 and 2022, the issue was largely viewed in Sacramento and Washington as unique to Marin,” said Talia Smith, deputy county executive.
That’s why advocates rallied behind Assemblymember Damon Connolly’s Assembly Bill 1778, which ultimately passed as a Marin-specific pilot e-bike safety program, Smith said.
The county government and all of Marin’s cities and towns adopted a matching ordinance, which took effect last fall. Under the rules, no one under 16 may operate class 2 e-bikes, which are throttle assisted with a top speed of 20 mph, anywhere in Marin. Helmets are required for all users.
State law already bans anyone under 16 from riding class 3 e-bikes — pedal-assisted bicycles that can travel up to 28 mph. Helmets are required for all users.
In December, the Mineta Transportation Institute released a long awaited Legislature-commissioned study on e-bike safety that identified illegal, overpowered devices as a key safety concern, Smith said.
In March, U.S. Rep. Jared Huffman, who represents Marin, co-authored a bipartisan bill for tighter federal regulations on electric bicycles, electric motorcycles and other small, electric-powered vehicles.
“At the same time, high-profile crashes involving young riders and growing concerns from communities across California have brought much greater attention to the issue,” Smith said. “This year, legislators representing communities from San Diego and Orange County to the East Bay and San Mateo have introduced numerous bills addressing e-bike safety. What was once viewed as a Marin-specific concern is now clearly a statewide and national issue.”
As traumatic injuries and deaths surge among children involved in crashes on e-bikes and other electrified vehicles, one California prosecutor is cracking down by pursuing criminal charges against some of the young riders’ parents.
It is just one way officials across the country are trying to tackle the growing issue, while families navigate a patchwork of local laws and guidance on what kind of souped-up cycles and scooters are safe or even legal for their kids to ride.
Cycling advocates worry regulations might be too broad — demonizing low-powered e-bikes instead of speedier motos — while some parents question whether localized, piecemeal strategies are enough.
Monica Stafford, a San Rafael mother whose teen daughter fractured her skull falling off an e-bike, said officials are “missing the mark” if they’re seeking to lay the blame solely on parents. Stafford said a unified, national set of rules is needed.
“We’re in a total Wild West of laws,” Stafford said. “Being for common-sense laws doesn’t mean that you’re against e-bikes, just like you can be for cars but not think that it’s safe to put keys in the hands of a 10-year-old.”
E-bike injuries disproportionately impact children, experts say.
According to the most recent data in Marin, e-bike crash rates for the 10-to-15 age group dropped from 16.25 to 11.65 per 10,000 residents between July 2024 and June 2026.
The downward trend coincides with the the county’s push to improve e-bike safety, including the launch of the “E-Bikers Club” campaign to inform the public about the new ordinances.
Dr. Lisa Santora, Marin County public health officer, said the data show a spike in crashes among youths in the late summer and fall.
“We want families to have this information before school starts; prevention happens before an injury, not after,” Santora said. “We continue to emphasize safe practices for riding e-bikes, especially among our youngest riders.”
Niccore Tyler, the chief assistant director of the Marin County Health and Human Services Department, said incident rates among other age groups remain relatively stable.
“Beyond the rates, our data shows that helmet use remains inconsistent among younger riders (approximately 35% compliance) and that overpowered devices are involved in a disproportionate share of more severe incidents,” Tyler wrote in an email.
Those findings align with the Mineta Transportation Institute study, she said.
Data from the Marin Emergency Medical Services Agency showed high helmet compliance rates, about 75% to 90%, among youths involved in crashes during the study period.
Smith said e-bike technology will continue to evolve faster than the local and state laws will be able to regulate them.
“That makes education and outreach especially important,” Smith said.
What has been successful is the focused messaging to parents of school-aged children, who most often are the ones purchasing their child’s bikes, and increasing the understanding that an e-bike is not simply a conventional bicycle with a motor, Smith said.
“Families should carefully consider a young rider’s age and biking experience in determining whether an e-bike is appropriate and safe choice,” Smith said. “The youngest and less experienced riders should be on pedal assist e-bikes or simply conventional bikes.”
A report is expected to be presented to the Transportation Authority of Marin board when it meets on Sept. 24.