(Radio Iowa) – Some Iowa hospitals and clinics report dramatic increases in admissions due to accidents with e-bikes and e-scooters. In many cases, the injuries are attributed to a lack of safety equipment or a lack of practice on the devices. Kelly Hilsabeck, trauma injury prevention coordinator at Emplify Health by Gundersen, says the sharp rise in people of all ages getting hurt is unfortunate, especially since most of the accidents are preventable.
“A lot of these riders of e-bikes and e-scooters are not wearing helmets, and a lot of the injuries are occurring from losing control,” Hilsabeck says. “The most important thing that riders can do is to make sure that they’re wearing a helmet, every ride, no matter what age they are.” A survey of data from the past year across all of the healthcare company’s facilities found 53-percent of e-bike and e-scooter riders who were hurt were not wearing helmets, while 73-percent of their crashes were due to the rider losing control.
Hilsabeck says bikes and scooters can be hard for a motorist to spot, especially if it’s nighttime and the riders aren’t using lights, but they can also be dangerous during daylight. “Make sure that you adopt the assumption that others can’t see you. So it’s very important to stay visible and ride predictably,” Hilsabeck says. “These devices move quickly and they’re quiet. Follow the rules of the road. Slow down in busy areas, stop at stop signs, use hand signals for turning.”
In addition to wearing a helmet and riding sensibly, she says it’s extremely important that e-bike and scooter users know how to operate the device before hopping on and taking off. “Avoid distractions,” she says. “We don’t want you on your cell phone when you’re riding these devices, and we don’t want your headphones in. We just want you aware of your surroundings as best as possible.” One regional hospital reports an 800-percent increase in e-bike injury admissions since 2023, while e-scooter admissions were up 80-percent.
Emplify Health by Gundersen has clinics in Calmar, Decorah, Fayette, Lansing, Postville and Waukon, and a hospital in West Union.
