E-bike injuries have surged, sending thousands of Americans to hospitals in recent years, new research shows.
Electronic bicycle accidents were particularly hard on riders' heads, especially the majority of those injured who didn't wear helmets.
Helmet use declined by almost 6 percent each year between 2017 and 2022, while the number of e-bike riders with head trauma seeking hospital care shot up 49 fold to nearly 8,000 in 2022, according to research published in JAMA Surgery on Wednesday.
"It's a really significant public health problem," said Dr. Laura Goodman, a pediatric surgeon and trauma medical director of the Children's Hospital of Orange County, who was not involved with the study.