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1973 Aermacchi Harley "e-Bike" (big-a55 lawn tractor battery)
Posted on 02/28/2024 7:08:56 AM PST by george76
Since 2017, hospitalizations due to e-bike injuries have risen 43-fold,
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Over 45,000 Americans were injured as a result of e-bike injuries between 2017 and 2022, indicating a 30-fold rise in the number of injuries caused by the popular mode of transportation. Nearly one in 10 of those injuries required hospitalization.
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2022, e-bikes accounted for 4 percent of the bike market in the United States, up from 0.06 percent in 2015.
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between 2017 and 2022, the number of injuries rose from 751 to 23,493—over a 108 percent annual increase.
Men were those most often injured, receiving between 69 percent and 79 percent of the injuries throughout the five years. Injuries were fairly evenly distributed among age groups, with 18- to 34-year-olds averaging between 30 percent and 46 percent of the injuries; 35- to 54-year-olds averaging between 11 percent and 40 percent of injuries; and those over 55 averaging between 17 percent and 20 percent of the injuries. In 2017, individuals between 18 and 34 comprised 63 percent of all reported e-bike injuries.
The types of injuries reported also varied, with no specific injury dominating. Fractures and dislocations were the most common injury, averaging between 20 percent and 38 percent. Head injuries accounted for between 22 percent and 36 percent of injuries, and injuries to the upper extremities ranged between 23 percent and 36 percent.
The severity of injuries also increased over the years, with more patients requiring hospitalization. Between 2017 and 2022, the data indicated a 43-fold increase in hospitalizations.
The data indicated helmet use varied from year to year. About 50 percent of e-bike riders wore helmets in 2017. Use peaked at 62 percent in 2019 and 2020 before dropping to 36 percent in 2022. The research team noted that the increase in head injuries—which was at its lowest in 2017—is likely due to a decreased use of helmets. The risk of receiving a head injury was 1.9 times higher for riders who did not wear a helmet. The team found, however, that wearing a helmet was uncommon. “Only 44 percent of injured e-bicyclists wore helmets, with proportionally fewer wearing helmets each year,” the study authors reported, adding that “although helmet use by e-bicyclists varies worldwide, Swiss studies report helmet use as high as 69 percent.”
State Regulations Attempt to Prevent Injuries..
States have worked to adopt laws regulating e-bike use throughout the United States. Much of the legislation focuses on how to classify the e-bike, determining whether it is a scooter, moped, or traditional bike. That classification typically determines who can ride e-bikes and where. For example, 36 states have three-class systems for e-bikes. These classes indicate the varying types of e-bikes available on the market, from road bikes and cruisers to those better suited for mountain biking. The reasoning behind these laws and classifications is that placing the right bike on a suitable surface helps keep people safer and helps avoid further injury.
The way some people ride them are stupid. I saw one guy on a unicycle going 50km/hr. One bump and he’s flying 50km/hr, until he lands.
The stupid....it burns
Yeah, people treat them like motorcycles.
video shows how e-bike battery ignited an inferno - reveals how a charging lithium-ion battery sparked a raging fire ..
https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/4212093/posts
That said, I am very much in favor of ebikes for folks who aren't that physically fit. They are a great way to start a bike fitness program. But it's important to be safety conscious.
Things go pretty fast. Someone would be crazy to ride them on the roads in our town. The potholes would send them flying.
Those things are dangerous. I’m sticking with my Hayabusa
One day I got called to HR because the safety manager was concerned about my hazardous operation of my bicycle. Once I explained he understood.
In the 70’s a friend used to stand on the seat of his Kawasaki 500 doing a ‘wheelie’ up Broadway in Boulder, CO.
Wasn’t fun enough so he got a 750.
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1973 Aermacchi Harley "e-Bike" (big-a55 lawn tractor battery)
We were in the car not too long ago, on one of Los Angele’s very very busy freeway - a guy on a motorcycle was flying down the road “popping a wheelie,” probably around 70 mph - my husband is a life-long, very experience motorcycle rider and was shocked at what this guy was doing.
As he passed us, he bobbled the bike - we were sure he was going to go down right in front of us. He managed to save the bobble and put himself back on two wheels - hope it got his attention and he won’t do anything again so stupid - but husband said he saw idiots doing all kinds of profoundly stupid things on motorcycles. He well knew how dangerous they could be.
I’m contemplating getting an e-bike for my motorhome, but I’m hesitant due to concerns about battery fires. Being in good shape, I can still ride my traditional bike. Additionally, the expense and potential theft of e-bikes are other considerations.
I have two e bikes and my daughter and son-in-law each have one. We ride them all over the place up and down hills, etc. They are massively fun - I wouldn’t THINK of going out without a helmet, I even have lights on my helmet to make myself more visible - daughter and son-in-law refuse to wear helmets and get huffy when we mention them. They ride often and I worry about them constantly.
I’ll never forget the video we used to show to the high school kids once a year - two mothers, both in bike accidents, one showed her helmet broken in half, the doctor said that would have been her head if she hadn’t had the helmet on - the other mother spoke slowly and labored- she’d suffered brain damage after her head hit a curb in a bike accident and she wasn’t wearing a helmet, she begged kids to make sure they always wore a helmet when bike riding. That was enough for me to ALWAYS wear a helmet.
My e bike has a three-way locking system - removing the console disables the bike, the bike also has a frame lock which also locks the wheels, making it impossible to move - and then I have a titanium U-lock.
My son-in-law’s garage was broken into one night - (he has a camera in the garage) - the bike frames were thankfully locked - the thieves tried to move the bikes, couldn’t - and gave up.
Our bikes are also insured.
Get one with a removable battery and you can charge it separate from the bike.
Ditto (Scout). Power & weight are much safer.
“State Regulations Attempt to Prevent Injuries.”
State regulations attempt to prevent murder.
State regulations attempt to prevent carjackings.
State regulations attempt to prevent shoplifting.
State regulations attempt to prevent drunk driving.
anyone see a commonality here?
E-Bike Injuries Skyrocket,
Although eluded to in the posted part of the article (Epoch Times weirdly requires registration to read articles), what is not pointed out that the number of injuries are probably in line with the significant sales growth. When you have more people riding Ebikes, more people are going to get hurt.
They need to do a comparison with non Ebikes to be realistic as to the “danger of them of non Ebikes.
State Regulations Attempt to Prevent Injuries..
States have worked to adopt laws regulating e-bike use throughout the United States. Much of the legislation focuses on how to classify the e-bike, determining whether it is a scooter, moped, or traditional bike. That classification typically determines who can ride e-bikes and where. For example, 36 states have three-class systems for e-bikes. These classes indicate the varying types of e-bikes available on the market, from road bikes and cruisers to those better suited for mountain biking. The reasoning behind these laws and classifications is that placing the right bike on a suitable surface helps keep people safer and helps avoid further injury.
Government laws and regulations never prevent anything. They merely provide a remedy (or not) to injured parties.
I did not go to law school and I figured this out about 40 years ago.
Hmmmmm! So my the same line concerning EVs, I wonder how they will do in the Lake Tahoe area this coming blizzard weekend.....
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