‘It’s no longer a bike’: KIRO hosts weigh e-bike risks after Kirkland child critically injured

A child was left in critical condition in Kirkland after a collision with a car while riding an e-bike, bringing attention to the new laws regarding e-bikes and scooters in Washington.

KIRO host Ursula Reutin and KIRO fill-in host Angela Poe Russell shared some recent findings that proved the risks of riding an e-bike, while also debating whether they are in or out on buying one in the future.

“I’ve shared that I wanted to get an e-bike, and I was saying that I don’t live that far from the station, and there are bike lanes that I could use,” Ursula said on “The Gee and Ursula Show” on KIRO Newsradio. “This was a while back, but my sister loves her e-bike, and I’m still not giving up on the idea. I’m giving up on the idea of commuting here on an e-bike, but I like the idea of having an electric bike.”

New study found e-bike riders face more than double the risk of internal injury

Angela noted an American College of Surgeons study that revealed electric bicycle injuries are more severe than manual bikes, simply due to the weight of the frame. Victims have a 17% risk of internal injury on an e-bike, compared to 7.5% risk of internal injury on a manual bike, more than double in terms of a major injury.

“To me, I think if it’s one of the things where you want to commute a longer distance, then I think the e-bike can be environmentally friendly,” Angela said. “It’s a great tool. The issue is that folks aren’t using the helmets or obeying the rules of the road. It just becomes dangerous, so many things are risky, but I’m just saying it has good uses for it.”

Starting this year in Washington, e-bikes are no longer considered a bike but actually a motorcycle if it is more powerful than 750 watts, and can propel a rider beyond 28 miles per hour with motor assistance.

KIRO producer Mike Seibert noted that there is a common misconception when people raise concerns over e-bikes, largely the difference between a Lime bike and another e-bike.

“The electric scooters I use are like Lime scooters,” Seibert said. “I’ll get on a Lime scooter, but I think that’s where the disparity in some of this comes from, it’s the e-bikes that we’re talking about. They’ve got the big gnarly tires and their big frames, they’re very heavy, and they could smoke a Lime bike very easily. [Lime bikes] have a pedal assist motor, but other e-bikes are full throttle, and I think that’s where we’re seeing the uptick in injuries. The fastest you could go on a Lime bike is like 22 miles an hour; these things can go upwards of 30 on the street.”

Watch the full discussion in the video above.

Listen to Gee and Ursula on “The Gee and Ursula Show” weekday mornings from 9 am to 12 pm on KIRO Newsradio.