The devices can differ dramatically. Some e-bikes provide limited motor assistance while a rider pedals; others are throttle-driven and can reach speeds closer to motorcycles. Electric scooters also range from low-speed shared rides to powerful personal vehicles. Advocates and manufacturers say regulations should account for those differences rather than treating every device as the same kind of vehicle.

The risks have drawn attention after several deadly crashes. In Washington, D.C., a 50-year-old city employee, Talib Shakir, died after his scooter collided with a rideshare scooter. Police said Shakir’s scooter could reach 55 miles per hour and that neither rider was wearing a helmet. In Atlanta, an e-bike rider died after striking a curb and being thrown into a wall. A 12-year-old girl in Massachusetts died after her scooter hit a school bus.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission reported that deaths associated with e-bikes and e-scooters have been increasing. Consumer Reports said in August that it did not recommend any of the 13 electric scooters it tested, citing their high speeds and rising injuries.

Children are a particular concern. Johns Hopkins researchers found that nearly half of the e-scooter injuries involving children in their study period from 2020 to 2024 occurred in 2024. Nearly one in four of the injuries in recent years involved children ages 11 to 14, and one in 10 injured children was hospitalized.

That age group may face heightened risks because young riders are still developing motor skills and judgment, and typically have less experience navigating traffic, said Dr. Mary Beth Howard, a pediatric emergency medicine specialist at Johns Hopkins Children’s Center and an author of the research.

“That creates the perfect storm for that 11 to 14 or early adolescent group being at incredibly high risk for injuries from e-scooters,” Howard said. She said the findings raise questions about whether safety policies are keeping pace with growing use.

States are responding with different approaches. An Illinois law scheduled to take effect in January will prohibit children under 15 from riding e-bikes. Riders of devices capable of traveling faster than 28 miles per hour will need a driver’s license, registration and insurance, and those devices will be barred from sidewalks and regular bike lanes.

Pennsylvania’s House has approved a bill to legalize and regulate e-scooters, which are currently illegal to ride on public streets, sidewalks and bike lanes in the state. The proposal would set speed limits, require helmets and restrict riders to those 16 and older. It now goes to the state Senate. In Michigan, lawmakers are considering license and helmet requirements for some teenage riders, while Ohio lawmakers have proposed age limits and helmet rules. California recently enacted three e-bike safety laws.

New York City leaders have also discussed new rules. By September, at least 28 people riding electric devices had died in crashes there, the city’s highest total at that point in a year. In Washington, D.C., police launched a road-safety initiative focused on educating e-bike and scooter riders after Shakir’s death.

Some safety proposals have prompted concern among e-bike and scooter advocates, who argue that broad restrictions could sweep in low-speed bicycles along with much faster vehicles. They favor tiered regulations that reflect a device’s speed and design, rather than blanket bans.

For communities weighing new rules, the central challenge is balancing access to lower-emission transportation with safety for riders, pedestrians and other road users. Researchers say the rising injury toll, particularly among children, makes clear that the rules governing these devices are an increasingly urgent public-safety question.