Is an e-bike on your holiday shopping list for you or your family and friends? If so, make sure a helmet is purchased as well. As the popularity of e-bikes continues to skyrocket, so do the number of issues surrounding the safety of this alternative mode of transportation. We hope you will join us on January 16, 2024, at the Goleta City Council meeting for the proclamation of E-Bike Safety Awareness Day. Let’s all be a part of doing what we can to make sure those zipping around town on e-bikes, many of them teens, arrive to their destinations safely. 

Electric bicycles are heavier and faster than standard bicycles and, without the proper safety education and training, e-bike riders have a higher risk of becoming severely injured or killed in a crash. As e-bikes become more commonplace, it’s also important for drivers to familiarize themselves with sharing the road with e-bike riders.

According to preliminary data from the California Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System, there were more than 9,600 bicycle-involved crashes in 2022. At least 225 of those crashes involved an e-bike, including four which resulted in fatal injuries. This reflects a significant increase from the previous year when there were 80 e-bike crashes reported in California.

In case you didn’t know, the California Highway Patrol has an online e-bike safety and training program designed to help riders of all abilities and all ages identify potential hazards, while offering information on safe riding practices and hazard-avoidance maneuvers. Go to www.chp.ca.gov/Programs-Services/Services-Information/Bike-and-Ped-Safety.

The City is planning educational activities surrounding E-Bike Safety Awareness Day, stay tuned for details.