Lehigh Valley officials alarmed as e-bike, scooter crashes climb: ‘These aren’t toys’

BETHLEHEM, Pa. — E-bikes and scooters are becoming increasingly common on streets, alleys and backroads everywhere.

As quickly as the popularity of the micromobility vehicles has grown, so, too, has the number of crashes and deaths related to them, according to Lehigh County Coroner Daniel Buglio.

That includes more than two dozen crashes last year across the region, an analysis by LehighValleyNews.com found.

And Buglio has recorded numerous micromobility-related deaths this year in Lehigh County:

• Thomas Hess, 76, of Upper Macungie Township, was killed July 4 when the e-bike he was riding collided with a vehicle near Schantz and Cetronia roads, authorities said.
• That same day, Rufus Martin, 52, of Allentown, died from his injuries after being hit by a vehicle while riding a scooter in the city’s downtown.
• A few months earlier, a 27-year-old woman from Berks County was killed while riding a motor scooter on Union Boulevard in Allentown.
• And a Schuylkill County man died at Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest on Oct. 4, several days after his e-bike veered off the roadway and he struck a utility pole in Kline Township. Joseph Planutis, 53, died as a result of blunt force trauma to the head, according to the coroner.

The recent increase of deaths — and likely continued high use of the new vehicles — is pushing Buglio to change the way he tracks them.

“Because of the recent increase we have seen, we have recently begun to record statistics,” he said Oct. 7, with the tally including one electric scooter and two e-bike related deaths this year.

“Additionally, I think I am going to have it characterized separately on our 2025 annual report.”

Rising reports of crashes

Throughout the summer — and into the start of fall — crashes involving e-bikes and other micromobility devices have appeared in news reports and social media posts, prompting growing concern among police and public officials.

“There has been a significant increase in battery-powered bikes, scooters, skateboards, et cetera, in Salisbury Township over the last year,” Sgt. Bryan Losagio said.

“We are encountering the same issues as most other departments across the state. One of the issues is the volume of them over a short period of time.

“It went from little-to-none of these to seeing them multiple times throughout a patrol shift,” he said.

Like Buglio, Losagio highlighted the growing “number of crashes, [incidents of] unsafe driving, and hazardous conditions these are causing.”

He cited a recent serious crash on East Emmaus Avenue involving a battery-operated scooter or cycle.

“What I really don’t understand is why parents would permit their children to drive these on a public roadway, especially on high-volume roadways,” Losagio said.

“I’ve come across children at night on these, and as a parent myself, I just don’t understand how you’d allow your child to risk being hit by a vehicle on one of these."

He said 9 out of 10 riders in the township he sees are scooters with riders ages 9 to 15 on them.

“E-bikes are here and there, but nowhere near the number of electric scooters," he said. But "the main issue is on high volume roadways, especially at night.”

Confusion over rules

Salisbury is far from alone.

Bethlehem Police Department has seen an increase in the use of electric and small-engine vehicles over the past few years, according to Bethlehem Police Lt. William Audelo.

That’s come with a rise in crashes involving those vehicles in the city, too.

And Trooper Nathan Branosky said state police have been dispatched to major roadways such as Route 22 for incidents involving micromobility vehicles.

“We are citing operators of the e-bikes accordingly,” Branosky said. “It is imperative the operators of these vehicles know the rules of the road.”

This summer, Coplay Police Department posted a Facebook message addressing what it called the “fad” of electronic scooters, e-bikes and electric-assist pedalcycles.

The borough “has deemed them a nuisance and unsafe for both motorists, pedestrians and those riding such vehicles,” the message said.

The post drew 141 comments — some vehemently objecting to the borough’s stance, others applauding the warning and sharing stories of riders blowing through stop signs in the borough or nearly colliding with pedestrians on Ironton Rail Trail.

Forks Township Police Department on Oct. 9 posted its own reminder on social media, spelling out what has been Pennsylvania law since 2021.

“Electric scooters are not legal to operate on any public roadways, sidewalks or paths," the message said.

"Additionally, electric bikes may only be operated by those at least 16 years old and must follow all the same rules of the road as vehicles.

"Thank you for helping us keep your kids safe!”

It also drew swift rebuke from some residents and praise from others.

“Just another strong-arm revenue generating tactic,” one man said, while others wondered what kids can do outside anymore without getting in trouble.

But others said the reminder was necessary.

“Thank you for spelling this out," one woman wrote. "These vehicles are multiplying like flies and most of the time, the drivers are not following the rules of the road.

"I can only hold my breath on how many 'close calls’ I’ve had as a car driver.”

But confusion remained.

“I don't understand what is the difference between an electric motorized pedal bike and an e-bike? Weight? Battery size? Top speed?” one man wrote.

It was a sentiment that carried through hundreds of responses.

Murky laws, vehicle classifications

Two of the biggest challenges for police are identifying micromobility vehicles and enforcing appropriate laws.

Under Pennsylvania law, e-bikes are limited to 750 watts and top speeds of 20 mph, while motorized pedal cycles are limited to 1.5 brake horsepower and speeds of 25 mph.

The latter requires a license, registration and insurance; e-bikes do not.

According to a state Department of Transportation fact sheet, motor scooters also must be licensed, registered and insured to be driven on public roadways.

The law limits their power to 5 brake horsepower — a measure of engine output rather than speed.

“Classifying these types of vehicles can be difficult since the engine size and output cannot always be determined by simply looking at them,” Audelo, the Bethlehem Police lieutenant, said.

Bethlehem officers refer to a fact sheet provided by PennDOT when interacting with these types of vehicles, he said.

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PennDOT

“The City of Bethlehem Police Department recommends anyone who has one of these vehicles or is looking to purchase a vehicle, research the laws for the specific model they intend on using,” he said.

“We are finding many operators do not know their vehicle requires registration and insurance. This can lead to fines for violating the vehicle code."

And some micromobility vehicles are being altered to increase their maximum speeds to highway standards, reaching 50 mph or more, according to a recent story in the Philadelphia Inquirer, which labeled the faster, more powerful vehicles as e-motos, or motorcycles with bicycle pedals.

Police scrambling to keep up

However they’re labeled, the rising popularity of micromobility vehicles has left police and lawmakers scrambling to adapt as they struggle to keep pace with changing technology.

State Rep. Joe Webster, D-Montgomery County, last month circulated a memo calling for improved e-bike safety and infrastructure statewide.

“Sales of e-bikes have nearly quadrupled in this decade, and models are exhibiting greater power, longer range, and greater potential uses beyond casual trail riding,” the memo states.

State, county and local governments are putting significant investments into bike lanes and multimodal paths, but Pennsylvania’s “statutory and regulatory environment around e-bike usage remains rudimentary at best,” according to the memo.

“In order to adapt to the rapidly growing capabilities and demand of e-bikes, we must update our statutory framework for these vehicles,” Webster’s memo states.

“The safety of riders, pedestrians, and other vehicles must be considered and updated in accordance with developments in e-bike technology.”

Webster’s memo said he planned to introduce a resolution directing the Joint State Government Commission to develop recommendations for an updated statutory framework that “recognizes the increased capabilities of modern e-bikes and accounts for safety, infrastructure development, and e-bike rider permitting.”

“The report will examine a municipality’s role and their needs in ensuring safe travel and how e-bikes interact with pedestrians and vehicles,” the memo said.

As of Oct. 10, the document had not been submitted for introduction.

'Very unsafe'

Reliable data on e-bike crashes in Pennsylvania has proven difficult to obtain, with little consistency in tracking across departments and municipalities.

State Police use publicly available data through PennDOT as a way to track e-bikes crashes in a larger database of vehicle-related crashes, according to a spokesman.

A LehighValleyNews.com analysis of almost 200,000 vehicle crashes reported to state police last year found hundreds between e-bikes and motor vehicles — and two related deaths.

Some state data sets categorize an e-bike as a bicycle; others categorize them as a pedalcycle.

A search for crashes that included bicycles and pedalcycles with electric components revealed 345 e-bike crashes, including 26 in the Lehigh Valley.

Northampton County recorded 14 e-bike crashes, while Lehigh County posted a dozen last year.

Nine were in Bethlehem, seven were in Allentown, and one was in Easton, according to those stats.

Palmer Township recorded three e-bike crashes with motor vehicles, Whitehall Township recorded two, and Forks Township recorded one.

Two occurred in areas served by the Colonial Regional Police Department, the analysis shows.

Local officials reported one suspected serious injury and no deaths from e-bike crashes last year, which involved almost 60 people.

Sixteen people suffered minor injuries, according to state statistics.

All but three of the 26 crashes occurred at intersections, and at least five non-motorists were hit in crosswalks.

A St. Luke's University Health Network spokesman said their local ERs are not seeing a rise in visits from related crashes, but a report from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission published in the fall of 2023 found that injuries associated with micromobility devices increased nearly 21% from 2021 to 2022, and all injuries trended upward since 2017, increasing an estimated 23% annually.

Overall, it estimated 360,800 emergency department visits related to the devices, with 36% of injuries to ages 14 years and younger.

The study said the commission also was aware of at least 233 deaths associated with micromobility devices from 2017 through 2022, with reporting considered “ongoing and incomplete.”

Researchers from Columbia University also used 2019 to 2022 data from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System to describe the “national burden of injuries associated with micromobility devices.”

They compared patterns and trends for 1,933,296 estimated injuries associated with e-bikes, bicycles, hoverboards and powered scooters.

Reversing the trend

Losagio said he believes public education is crucial to reversing the trend.

“Public education needs to take place. That is the key,” he said, emphasizing that a lot of micromobility devices — particularly e-scooters — can look like toys and move at the speed of a vehicle.

He said eventually, you’ll see more hands-on police activity as it relates to enforcement.

“It’s still ‘new,’ so to speak," he said. "I compare it to when we would occasionally see a guy on an ATV riding on the street here and there to what we see now, dozens of ATVs driving recklessly.

“Our initial approach is using social media to educate people and get parents to make sure they are not allowing their kids to use these on the streets.

“As of late, I’m seeing more kids riding these than regular bicycles and I think that trend is only going to increase.

"But they are very unsafe on a roadway and in time will lead to more serious injuries, crashes and deaths.”