E-bikes are inexpensive, safe and sustainable — a modern transportation marvel that makes cycling available to the masses. So why are e-bikes seemingly so misunderstood and misrepresented?

A recent Fact Brief in The Nevada Independent is an example. In discussing a national increase in e-bike injuries without important context, it doesn’t accurately represent the safety of e-bike commuting in Las Vegas. My concern is that articles such as this may ultimately discourage efforts to develop more sustainable transportation options that benefit the health of our population and their pocketbooks. 

Similar articles have hampered the adoption of e-bikes by influencing policies such as Clark County prohibiting e-bike commuters from “any county park, skatepark, bicycle park, recreational facility, on any county park trail or pathway, or at any other non-designated location.” 

Such ordinances aren’t just wrongheaded and unfair. They go against local and statewide climate action, sustainability and bicycle plans promoting clean, active transportation as a priority.

I founded E-Bike Commuters in response to Clark County’s legislation, and published this article arguing that, based on Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department data, e-bikes are by far the safest mode of travel in Las Vegas. 

The Nevada Independent’s Fact Brief, prompted by a Reddit thread, cited two sources: a study from the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), and a Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Weekly Traffic Action Report. Neither of them paints the full picture of e-bike safety.

The JAMA study states that “electric bicycle injuries increased by nearly 100% … annually” but later acknowledges that, “The increase in EV injuries and all micromobility-associated hospitalizations from 2017 to 2022 most likely reflects the growing popularity of these vehicles.” 

The JAMA study should have compared the dramatic growth of e-bike adoption with the growth of e-bike injuries, and should have also pointed out that 45,586 e-bike injuries over six years are minuscule compared to the 2,499,843 bicycle injuries documented during the same period. E-bikes had a fraction of the injuries compared to those of bikes, scooters and e-scooters. 

Lastly, the Fact Brief cited Metro's Traffic Weekly Action Report that documented three e-bike and five e-scooter fatalities so far in 2025, but did not mention that Metro also reported nine bicyclist, 56 pedestrian, 27 driver, eight passenger and 32 motorcycle/moped fatalities.

Providing this context is key to accurately portraying the risks involved and could eliminate misleading, sensational headlines such as University of California, San Francisco’s “Electric Scooter and Bike Accidents Are Soaring Across the U.S.”  

Ironically, in the Reddit discussion that inspired the Fact Brief, the vast majority of replies said e-bikes are a safe and fun form of transportation. Having sold my car more than six years ago, I relish the joy of being in the fresh air instead of encased in thousands of pounds of hermetically sealed plastic, glass and metal. Concerns about miles per gallon have faded and been replaced with “smiles per mile” and waving to other cyclists, pedestrians and runners along the way. I charge my battery in a standard wall socket, have only replaced a few tires, brake pads and one battery for a tiny fraction of the cost of automotive parts, and my home insurance policy covers full replacement value for about $50 per year. E-bike commuting has been liberating and joyful!  

E-bike commuters should be encouraged and supported for shifting to clean, active transportation as called for by the Las Vegas 2050 Master Plan, the Regional Transportation Planning Commission’s Regional Bicycle & Pedestrian Plan, and many other transportation plans across Nevada.

Commuting in any form will always involve some level of risk. For people who choose to push a bike pedal instead of a gas pedal, the real culprit is shortsighted road designs that favor drivers. Cars can be deadly. E-bike commuting is a sustainable transportation option and road designs need to evolve to cater to e-bike commuters, bicyclists and others. The media can help improve transportation policy by using statistics that tell the full story of how safe e-bike commuting really is. Our future rides on it.

Craig Davis is the founder of several cycling and active transportation advocacy sites, including E Bike Commuters. He sold his car more than six years ago and has used his e-bike for local transportation ever since.