MTI Electric Bicycle Safety Study Identifies Illegal, Over-Powered Devices as Key Problem

The Mineta Transportation Institute releases a major study on electric bicycle safety policy options.

The Mineta Transportation Institute (MTI) has released a report commissioned by the California Legislature: Exploring Electric Bicycle Safety Performance Data and Policy Options for California. The study offers recommendations for how California can support the twin goals of expanding electric bicycle use and protecting the safety of electric bicycle riders and other road users.

Numerous media stories have reported skyrocketing crashes and injuries involving electric bicycles, but the study authors warn that these reports must be interpreted with caution. While each injury or death is a unique tragedy, policymakers also need to understand the relative scale of the safety problem in order to make evidence-based judgements about appropriate policy. The most recent state and national data available show that although electric bicycle incidents on average cause more serious injuries than conventional pedal bicycle injuries, incidents with electric bicycles are still comparatively rare. As lead study author Asha Weinstein Agrawal, PhD, explains, “California emergency room data from 2023 shows that for each electric bicycle injury, there were 9 times more people injured by pedal bicycles and 60 times more people injured in motor vehicle incidents.”

Another reason for caution in interpreting the number of crashes and injuries attributed to electric bicycles is that some unknown fraction of these were not caused by legal electric bicycles. California, like most states, limits the motor on electric bicycles to 750 watts of power and the top motor-assisted speed to either 20 or 28 mph, depending on how the rider activates the motor. However, many devices marketed in California as electric bicycles have much higher motor power and/or faster motor-assisted speed than the law allows.

While nobody knows how many of these illegal electric bicycles are on the road, the percentage might be quite high. Counts of electric two-wheelers parked at a dozen northern California middle and high schools found that almost 90% may not meet the standards for legal electric bicycles. Some of these devices have as much as eight times more power than legal limits.

Study author Kevin Fang, PhD, observes that many Californians may be purchasing illegal devices without realizing it. “Marketing materials show overpowered devices being ridden on city streets... READ MORE