FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) — May is National Bike Month, and Fresno Unified School District and Valley Children’s Healthcare used National Bike and Roll to School Day to spotlight e-bike and e-scooter safety following an increase in serious injuries involving children.<\/p>\n
The district partnered on Wednesday morning with Valley Children’s Injury Prevention Program to host an e-bike safety conference at Bullard High School, bringing together school officials, law enforcement, and healthcare professionals to educate students and families about safe riding practices.<\/p>\n
The goal is to bring awareness about 3-bike and E-scooter risk while educating parents, students and the community.<\/p>\n
RELATED: Parents of teen killed in crash while riding moped scooter speak out<\/a><\/p>\n Health officials say growing access to e-bikes and scooters has introduced new risks for young riders.<\/p>\n “The increasing use of e-bikes or e-scooters brings new safety challenges we cannot ignore,” said Dr. Carmela Sosa, medical director of the Guilds Center at Valley Children’s Healthcare.<\/p>\n As the availability and use of e-bikes and scooters have risen, so have the injuries.<\/p>\n Since Friday in Fresno, a 13-year-old boy has died and two other children have been significantly injured in two separate crashes involving motorized vehicles.<\/p>\n While it wasn’t an e-bike in at least one of those cases, the concern about the same type of injury remains.<\/p>\n Valley Children’s Injury Prevention Program, a lead agency for Safe Kids Central California, says injuries linked to e-bikes and scooters have climbed sharply in recent years.<\/p>\n “In 2023, we saw only 11 injuries total. The number of combined e-bike and e-scooter injuries rose to 41 in 2025. Specifically related to e-bike injuries, we saw 22 e-bike traumas in 2025 as a whole, and we’ve already almost surpassed that number in the first four months of this year,” Sosa said.<\/p>\n In response, Fresno police, the California Highway Patrol and Fresno Unified officials gathered at Bullard High School to emphasize helmet use and adherence to traffic laws.<\/p>\n RELATED: Recent e-bike crashes raise questions about parental responsibility<\/a><\/p>\n Officials stressed that wearing a helmet remains the most effective way to prevent head injuries in a bicycle crash.<\/p>\n “Of those presenting to our emergency department, only one in four riders was wearing a helmet. The significance of this is that non-helmet riders have an almost two times higher risk of head injury compared to those wearing helmets,” Sosa said.<\/p>\n By law, all bicyclists under age 18 must wear a helmet while riding on public roads, paths or sidewalks. Officers also reminded riders to follow traffic rules, including riding on the right side of the road.<\/p>\n “Riding against traffic, like I said, that’s one of the common things we see here. You will be cited for that,” a Fresno police officer said.<\/p>\n Officials also issued a broader call for community involvement in keeping students safe.<\/p>\n “Drivers, please slow down, stay alert and follow traffic laws, especially in school zones. As a community, we need to communicate and prioritize safe routes to and from school and especially around town,” Sosa said.<\/p>\n Bullard High School Principal Armen Torigian said the message is about balancing enjoyment with responsibility.<\/p>\n “As a school community, we want every student to enjoy riding a bike, but we also want every student to be able to come to school and go home safely,” Torigian said.<\/p>\n The event served as both a reminder of the risks associated with e-bikes and scooters and a push for families, schools and drivers to work together to prevent further crashes.<\/p>\n Danyelle Burke North: For news updates, follow Danyelle Burke North on Instagram<\/a> and TikTok<\/a>.<\/p>\n Copyright \u00a9 2026 KFSN-TV. All Rights Reserved.<\/p>\n