(Omaha) As e-bikes and e-scooters continue to grow in popularity, AAA – The Auto Club Group has launched its new “E-Ride Ready” campaign to help parents understand the risks and prevent serious injuries.
The campaign includes a free E-Ride Safety Guide that explains how e-bikes and e-scooters work, how to choose the right helmet, where riders can legally operate, and how families can set clear safety expectations before a child’s first ride.
Brian Ortner, spokesperson for AAA – The Auto Club Group, says E-rides have spread so quickly that laws, infrastructure and safety awareness haven’t kept pace.
Ortner says AAA’s E-Ride Ready campaign helps parents understand what’s safe and what rules to set..Ortner says education is of the utmost importance, and that is why this campaign became such a priority for AAA.
According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, micromobility-related injuries increased an average of 23% annually from 2017 to 2022, resulting in an estimated 360,800 emergency department visits and 233 deaths. While there is no specific statistic on head injuries, wearing a helmet is extremely important. Ortner says AAA has been pushing for the use of helmets on regular bicycles for quite some time. He says with E-bikes, there are a couple of factors that make it more important.
AAA reminds families that properly fitted helmets can significantly reduce the risk of serious head injuries and encourages parents to understand local laws before allowing children to ride. In Nebraska, riders 18 and younger are required to wear helmets on e-bikes and e-scooters. E-bikes may generally operate where bicycles are allowed, though local communities may have additional restrictions. Currently, in Iowa, there is no statewide minimum age requirement to operate E-Bikes. Additionally, Ortner says all classes are allowed on lanes, shoulders, roadways, bike lanes, and bike paths at speeds of 20 MPH or less.
AAA encourages families to know their device’s speed and capabilities, require properly fitted helmets, understand where e-rides can legally operate, and practice safe riding habits around traffic and pedestrians.
The free E-Ride Safety Guide is available at sm.AAA/ERideReady.
