E-micromobility is here to stay: Safe riding practices for E-Bike and E-Scooter users

Electric scooters, e‑bikes and other forms of “e‑micromobility” have become a familiar sight on our streets, bike paths and campuses. Their popularity is no surprise: they’re affordable, convenient, environmentally friendly and often faster than driving in congested areas. But as their use grows, so does the need for awareness about safety and injury prevention.

What we’re seeing in emergency and trauma care in Boulder County

Boulder Community Health (BCH) has seen increases in injuries related to e‑scooters and e‑bikes in the past few years. Non-motorized bike and scooter injuries in 2024 and 2025 show high incidence across nearly all age brackets, whereas e-bike and e-scooter injuries concentrate more heavily among younger riders up to 24 years of age. Most injuries are preventable and often linked to two common patterns:

• Falls due to road hazards, speed, drug or alcohol use, misuse of product or inexperience in operating motorized devices.
• Collisions with vehicles, cyclists or pedestrians.

In our community, people between 18-24 years of age have the highest incident rate of injury among motorized device users. E-scooter injuries continue to outnumber e-bike injuries in emergency departments within this age group, making up the largest share of motorized device injuries. In contrast to e-scooters, e-bike injuries are increasing at concerning rates for users of all ages—most concerningly those who are even younger, as well as in older adult groups.

Specifically, in the BCH Emergency Department (ED), we saw a 100% increase in our e-bike injury rate for ages 17 and under from 2024 to 2025. While most e-bike injuries are occurring among young riders, older adults aged 65+ are more often hospitalized for these injuries.

Types of injuries

BCH sees a variety of injuries ranging from minor to severe associated with falls and collisions on e-micromobility devices. The most severe injuries come from improper use of the motorized device and from the rider not wearing appropriate safety equipment.

• Head injuries, especially among riders not wearing helmets.
• Orthopedic injuries (rib fractures, arm or leg fractures, etc.) many from bracing during a fall.

While many injuries are minor, some require imaging, orthopedic care, surgery or hospital admission. For older adults aged 65+ who are admitted after an e-bike accident, we often see head or orthopedic injuries and organ lacerations.

How Foothills Hospital is supporting community safety

As e‑micromobility continues to grow, our hospital is committed to promoting safe riding practices. Our injury‑prevention team is:

• Tracking local injury trends and collaborating with community groups working towards community safety
• Providing helmet‑fitting education
• Partnering with schools and community groups to implement changes within our community to make riding safer

E‑micromobility is here to stay. By staying informed and practicing safe riding habits, we can enjoy the benefits of these devices while reducing preventable injuries.

Parents, for more information on purchasing an e-bike or e-scooter for your child, please check out Boulder Valley School District’s blog for more information on e-bike maintenance and their blog about the different classes of e-bikes.

The City of Boulder also has a webpage dedicated to e-micromobility including e-bike identification, up to date laws on where these bikes are allowed, and additional safety tips from Boulder Police Department.