L.A. Parent: Is Your Child Ready for an E-Bike?
L.A. Parent and KTLA 5 recently interviewed Galinos Barmparas, MD, medical director of Trauma in the Jim and Eleanor Randall Department of Surgery at Cedars-Sinai, about what parents and teens should know about e-bike safety.
Barmparas told L.A. Parent that as electric bikes, or e-bikes, have surged in popularity, he is seeing a sharp increase in severe injuries from accidents, including bone fractures and brain and facial injuries.
“These are not simple bicycle falls,” he said. “E-bikes can reach speeds of almost 30 mph, and many young riders are not prepared for how quickly they accelerate or how differently they handle at those speeds, especially when braking or turning.”
Barmparas told L.A. Parent that while he understands the appeal of e-bikes among tweens and teens because they offer mobility, independence and freedom, he recommends them only for mature older teens who practice good judgment and know and follow the rules of the road.
“Parents should ask whether their child can reliably handle speed, traffic, distraction and split-second decision-making,” Barmparas said, and they should “feel comfortable saying no if they are not confident their child is ready.”
Barmparas told KTLA 5 anchors Eric Spillman and Jessica Holmes e-bike riders should not wear earbuds or use a phone, and that they “always, always, always have to have the right helmet on,” such as a multisport or motorcycle-certified helmet. A bicycle helmet does not provide adequate protection.
Barmparas treated Albert Miranda, 17, when he was transferred to Cedars-Sinai, a Level 1 trauma center, after a catastrophic crash on his motorized minibike. Miranda was in the hospital for five months and required more than 20 surgeries, including a leg amputation.
Miranda told Spillman and Holmes that e-bikes are fun but also very dangerous.
He encouraged parents of teens with e-bikes to “have them wear protection, like a helmet, maybe some gloves,” so that if they fall, they’re equipped with “anything that will help them.”
Read the complete article from L.A. Parent. Watch the complete segment from KTLA 5.