E-bike safety—safe use of a bicycle with electric motor assistance—starts with a controllable fit, a secure helmet, and equipment that helps others see you. Riders should also prepare for falls, motor-vehicle collisions, and lithium-ion battery fires. Start by confirming that you can control the bike and stop reliably. Then address visibility, crash protection, traffic hazards, and safe battery charging.
Table of Contents
- Choose a bike you can control
- Fit and fasten the helmet
- Make visibility part of every ride
- Understand the most common and serious risks
- Charge the battery without creating a fire risk
Choose a bike you can control
A larger bike is not necessarily a better fit. NHTSA warns that an e-bike that is too large is harder to control and recommends checking the brakes before every ride in its bicycle safety guidance.
Test control before buying or borrowing a bike. Do not accept a size that makes basic handling feel uncertain, and complete the brake check even when the bike worked normally on the previous ride.
- Confirm the bike's size allows confident control.
- Check both brakes before setting off.
- Stop and resolve any braking problem before riding.
Fit and fasten the helmet
Choose a bicycle helmet with a U.S. Consumer Product safety Commission compliance label. According to NHTSA's helmet-fitting guidance, it should sit level, cover the head without blocking vision, and fasten snugly enough that it cannot come off during a crash.
Helmet use matters, but the injury evidence has limits. A 2024 surveillance study found that injured riders without helmets had 1.9 times the odds of head injury compared with helmeted riders. However, researchers excluded many cases because helmet-use information was unavailable.
Make visibility part of every ride
Use bright clothing during daylight. In low light, use a white front light, red rear light, reflectors, and reflective gear. Visibility equipment works as a system.
A front light helps people approaching from ahead, while a rear light addresses traffic approaching from behind. Reflectors and reflective clothing provide additional points of visibility rather than replacing either light. Do not wait for complete darkness to prepare. If a ride may extend into low-light conditions, install and check the required visibility equipment before leaving.
Understand the most common and serious risks
Falls are the most common bicycle crashes in NHTSA's national safety data, while crashes involving cars are the most serious. Failure to yield and poor visibility are among the factors associated with fatal crashes. E-bike injuries have also risen sharply. A JAMA Surgery study estimated an increase from 751 U.S.
injuries in 2017 to 23,493 in 2022. Estimated hospitalizations rose from 66 to 2,897, although the study may miss injuries not treated in emergency departments. CPSC staff separately estimated 53,200 emergency-department-treated e-bike injuries from 2017 through 2022. Most of the 100 known mechanical-hazard fatalities involved motor vehicles; documented causes also included falls, control problems, and collisions with objects or pedestrians.
Charge the battery without creating a fire risk
A lithium-ion battery can enter thermal runaway, rapidly releasing heat that spreads through its cells and ignites nearby combustible material. CPSC has identified manufacturing defects, overheating, electrical misuse, physical damage, and incompatible aftermarket batteries or chargers as contributors. Follow CPSC's charging recommendations:.
- Choose products certified to applicable safety standards.
- Use the supplied or compatible charger.
- Install only an approved replacement battery.
- Remain present while the battery charges.
- Never charge an e-bike while sleeping.
