‘We Are Destroying These Bikes’: Californians Trade in Over 1,000 E-Bikes as Injuries Increase 430%
Electric bicycle owners in Southern California are increasingly surrendering their high-powered e-bikes, following reports of injuries and fatalities associated with thes vehicles. The Orange County District Attorney’s Office launched a unique buyback program,allowing residents too exchange their e-bikes for gift cards up to $1,000,with over 1,000 vehicles collected at Angel stadium in Anaheim on September 13. The initiative aims to combat the rising dangers posed by e-bikes, especially those that are illegally modified for higher speeds or used improperly by minors.
The district attorney’s office has also established a dedicated unit called “Ride Safely” to prosecute illegal use and modifications.Since the adoption of e-bikes in densely populated areas, injuries and deaths have surged, notably among children. Reports highlight over 20,000 injuries annually in the U.S.,with about 3,000 requiring hospitalization each year. Incidents include tragic cases like an 81-year-old man fatally hit by a 14-year-old riding a modified e-motorcycle, and a 12-year-old boy who suffered severe injuries after a crash involving a heavily modified e-motorcycle. These incidents have prompted legal actions against parents and individuals responsible for illegal modifications, emphasizing the safety risks associated with fast, modified e-bikes.
Electric bicycle owners in Southern California are parting ways with their high powered two-wheelers.
After many injuries and hospitalizations, the Orange County District Attorney’s Office organized a first-of-its-kind buyback program for e-bike owners to trade in the vehicles for gift cards worth up to $1,000, the Wall Street Journal reported Thursday.
On Sept. 13, residents handed in more than 1,000 e-bikes, e-motorcycles and similar electric two-wheeled vehicles at Angel Stadium in Anaheim.
Republican Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer spearheaded the buyback, the WSJ reported.
He has filed felony criminal charges against parents who allow their underage children to take the high-powered rides out for a spin.
“We are destroying these bikes,” Spitzer declared during the massive Sept. 13 event prompting Californians to cheer. “They’re going to be crushed!”
In May, the district attorney’s office created an E-Bike/E-Motorcycle Prosecution Unit called, “Ride Safely.”
“More than 100 deaths have been attributed to e-Bikes and E-Motorcycles across the United States and injuries have increased 430% in the last four years in Southern California with the majority of injuries impacting children not legally allowed to ride,” the announcement of the unit said.
The unit’s formation came after Vietnam veteran Ed Ashman, 81, was fatally struck by an e-motorcycle allegedly said to be piloted by a 14-year-old, the WSJ reported.
As e-bikes have been rapidly adopted in high-density metropolitan areas and coastal regions, thousands of people have also made emergency room visits from crashes.
Over 20,000 people annually are injured in the U.S. while riding e-bikes and 3,000 of them require hospitalization each year, the American College of Surgeons said in a June 2025 statement.
E-bikes come in different speed classification types and can reach speeds exceeding 20 miles per hour.
Modifications to the vehicles have caused devastating harm — including a July 2025 case in Orange County during which a 12-year-old boy on an e-motorcycle collided with a car and ended up with a fractured skull and broken leg, KCAL/KCBS reported.
The father of the injured child is facing felony prosecution charges from Spitzer’s office for illegal modifications and faces up to six years in prison, the outlet reported.
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