ORLANDO, Fla. — Emergency room visits for e-bike and e-scooter injuries in Orange County increased 273% from 2022 to 2025, according to the Florida Department of Health, and state and Orange County officials are considering new safety rules for riders.
A bill awaiting the governor’s signature would create statewide requirements for e-bike and e-scooter riders, including yielding to pedestrians and staying under 10 mph near pedestrians. Riders who do not follow the rules could face fines.
In Orange County, officials are also considering a local ordinance that could include required lights, parental notification and the ability to impound e-bikes or e-scooters. The county plans to bring a draft ordinance to the Board of County Commissioners on Aug. 4.
Some community members said they want action sooner, especially as students prepare for a new school year.
“We see it all the time out in that area, and it is frightening,” said Linda Sibley, who lives in Hamlin.
Sibley said she first remembers seeing an e-bike in 2024 while she was running before school started.
“I just sensed something was zooming past me, and I jumped out of the way and it was an e-bike,” Sibley said.
Since then, Sibley said she has advocated for safety training for young riders, particularly during the summer, before students return to school.
“So that they understand how to handle themselves when they are approaching a crosswalk,” Sibley said.
Doctors are also seeing the increase, too. Dr. Marc Levy, a pediatric surgeon at Orlando Health Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children, said e-bike and e-scooter injuries have become increasingly common. He said he believes e-bike and e-scooter injuries are among the fastest-growing concerns for pediatric surgeons.
“Pretty much now when we get a trauma alert, the first thing I think, ‘This is going to be an e-bike or e-scooter’,” Levy said.
The injuries include “head injuries, brain injuries, facial fractures” and fractures to arms and legs, Levy said.
In Orange County in 2025, 54% of e-bike and e-scooter-related emergency room visits involved patients 19 years old and younger, according to the Florida Department of Health. The age group with the largest number of visits was 10 to 14 years old.
“And I don’t see it slowing down,” Levy said. “We do need some kind of multifaceted approach to it.”
Sibley said she supports getting safety efforts started now, even if they are adjusted later.
“It doesn’t have to be perfect. We just need to get something started, and then we can tweak it as we go in order to make it what you ultimately want it to be,” Sibley said.