Electric Bikes are More Dangerous than Motorcycles

[Tony]

I've seen one bad accident already this year regarding E bikes. In my experience it's folks who don't ride bikes regularly, those renting for the day.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wM8Xli2KTzI

[oldfatslow]

If electric bikes get more people out on bikes it's a win. If they experience what it's like to ride bikes on a street with cars not seeing them they will hopefully be more attentive when they are back behind the wheel of the car.

[jamesdak]

I so agree. I see people on them all the time whizzing by me with no safety gear and oblivious to the hazards. Biggest no/no is they ride super fast on this "bike path" in the rural area I live in. Now the smart cyclist use the road vs the bike path because it's got way too many hazards on it for fast travel. Biggest problem is all the driveways and roads that intersect it. Many with hedges and the like blocking the view for both cars and bikes. You just can't cruise along it safely on a bike at speeds in the teens much less the well over 20 mph a lot of the E-bikes are doing. Oh well, let Darwin take out the stupid ones I guess....

[bicycletricycle]

I don’t understand the point of these posts about electric bicycles being dangerous. Are you anti electric bicycle?

[Likes2ridefar]

Originally Posted by oldfatslow

If electric bikes get more people out on bikes it's a win. If they experience what it's like to ride bikes on a street with cars not seeing them they will hopefully be more attentive when they are back behind the wheel of the car.

In my area they rent them for greenways and never see a street. They are a menace and will teach them nothing, besides the ones that wipe out because they have no clue how to handle a bike at speeds beyond their own capabilities.

I’ve only seen one woman crash horrifically so far, right in front of me, after passing me as I was going around 18mph. I tried to comfort her as we awaited the ambulance to come drag her away.

[Likes2ridefar]

Originally Posted by bicycletricycle

I don’t understand the point of these posts about electric bicycles being dangerous. Are you anti electric bicycle?

I am for multi use paths but otherwise could care less.

[jamesdak]

Originally Posted by bicycletricycle

I don’t understand the point of these posts about electric bicycles being dangerous. Are you anti electric bicycle?

Ummm, because in so many cases they are a hazard the way they are being used....

Doesn't mean someone is against them just because they are electric, but in the way they are being unsafely used and a hazard to others. Could care less if they only take out themselves with their ignorance of the hazards.

Same for me. If I hurt myself doing some stupid so be it. But if I endanger others being stupid then shame on me.

[boywonder]

Looks like observations to me . Come to Aspen in the summer and observe and see for yourself. Doing all of the above.

[zmudshark]

No motorized vehicles on paths that are not designated as allowing motorized vehicles.

Simple.

[Mark McM]

Interesting video, but I wonder how e-bike safety statistics compare to pedal bike safety statistics. I also wonder about the relative population sizes of e bikes vs. pedal bikes vs. motorcycles.

Interestingly, statistics show that vehicle fatality rates have been trending downward for the last 40 years - except for motorcycles, which as been trending up for the last 20 years. Some point to the fact that the average age of motorcyclist has also been going up, and in particular the average age that people start to ride motorcycles. From the IIHS page on motorcycle statistics:

Motorcycle owners have gotten older in recent decades. The typical motorcycle owner in 2018 was 50 years old (Motorcycle Industry Council, 2019). That contrasts with 1980, when the typical owner was 27 (Motorcycle Industry Council, Motorcycle Statistical Annual, 2000). In 1982, 3 percent of fatally injured motorcyclists were 50 and older; in 2018 over a third were.

I wonder if there is a similar dynamic, for e-bikes. Is the average age of e-bike riders significantly higher than for pedal bike riders, and is the average age of starting to ride higher for e-bike riders than for pedal bike riders?

[benb]

There’s another issue or three with motorcycle trends.

- Motorcycles are in a massive 20 year horsepower war, just like cars.

- Unlike cars which have porked out tremendously, a lot of categories of motorcycles have dropped significant curb weight

- the anti-helmet crowd has been very successful compared to cycling

Honestly I think the answer with eBikes at some point will come down to training or even licensing as their performance keeps going up

[buddybikes]

Motorized skateboard took out a friend, holocaust survivor riding on bike path. Broke hip in 2 spots. Former runner (yes 5 miles @ age 84) now walking with a cane, hopes to be back on a bike this spring (also caught covid in rehab). Motorized stuff, under unskilled hands is not good. Personally, I stay off our local path on weekends >55 degrees.

[Gummee]

Bicycles in general are more dangerous than motos.

With a moto, you can twist a wrist to get out of trouble. On a push bike, you're stuck dealing with whatever's coming up behind you.

Cagers don't see me on my 600# BMW with aux lights blazing so I KNOW they don't see me on my bicycles

M

[Dead Man]

this is an era of rapid change in so many ways - social change, tech change, economic change, political change... lots and lots of change, really fast. and more, faster change to come! and this is not going to change.

but humans are surely the most adaptable species thats ever walked or crawled or swam the earth... we'll work it all out, i promise.

fortunately the threat of ebikes, the scourge they may be, remains excruciatingly low on the list of things threatening our existence.

can we talk about AI?

[pasadena]

Boston Dynamics IS Skynet!