E-bikes and e-scooters have become increasingly common in the United States, offering an easy and convenient way to get around. But, that same convenience is what makes them dangerous. Peter Rudolph was a 77-year-old man who was fatally struck by an e-bike while crossing the street on July 18, 2025, in San Francisco. His death is a reminder that when riders don’t exercise caution, the consequences aren’t limited to themselves.
E-bike use has become increasingly common among young people, who can often ride them without proper caution. According to the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS), only 44 percent of e-bike riders wear helmets. In 2025 alone, more than 100,000 Emergency Room visits for e-bike injuries were reported in the US, more than three times the previously reported 30,000. Recent data shows that 41 percent of all emergency visits for e-bike injuries involve patients aged 10 to 19, according to NEISS.
This surge among young riders is driven, in large part, by a business model that makes e-bikes and scooters extremely accessible. There are several reasons why young people may be particularly likely to use these vehicles. First, young people may rely more heavily on e-bike services, like Veo and Lime, because they are less likely to have access to cars. According to the 2025 Veo rider report PDF, only 29% percent of Veo riders are older than 35. Second, the placement of shared e-bikes and scooters can make them especially accessible to students. The Veo app shows vehicles concentrated in areas around schools, including Berkeley High School. On Friday, Sept. 18, 2026, there were over 30 e-bikes within three blocks of BHS, while most areas in Berkeley have no more than one or two within nine square city blocks.
Students take bikes to and from school and leave them there for others to use, making them even easier to access. Because Veo’s age verification relies on users accurately reporting their own age, there’s no reliable count of how many of those riders are actually minors.
This accessibility benefits the companies that operate these services, which profit from widespread use of their vehicles. However, the companies that make these vehicles so accessible should also be responsible for making sure that accessibility does not come at the expense of safety. Stronger age verification and more deliberate attention to where bikes are distributed — rather than letting them cluster around schools — would go a long way toward preventing the reckless use that makes them dangerous.
If e-bikes remain part of Berkeley’s community, their convenience must be met with equal responsibility.