Electric Bike Accidents | How Do They Happen? | How to Avoid Accidents

Hey guys, Dustin here, CEO of sixthreezero. Today, we're going to talk about electric bike accidents, how they happen, why they happen, and how to avoid them.

Okay. So today we're going to talk about electric bike accidents. Now, I'm hearing about it happening here and there. There have been some celebrities in the news that I've heard that have had accidents. I think with anything, there's obviously going to be accidents that happen. It's unfortunate. What we can do is best prepare ourselves to avoid them. And I just want to talk a little bit about how do they happen, why do they happen, and how to avoid them.

So with electric bikes, they're very simple. Most of them, you can just pedal and the motor goes, or you use the throttle. Okay, let me get my bearings here. One reason I see electric bike accidents happening is if the throttle, someone pushes the throttle on accident when mounting the bike. Now, we've actually done an electric bike video on how to mount the bike properly, but you've got to be careful when you get on the electric bike, do not, if it is a throttle one, do not press the throttle at all accidentally because that bike will shoot out and you're going to end up flying backward.

Now, I can't speak specifically to how every accident happens, but I'm just making an assumption around how I think accidents could happen. And I think number one, mounting the bike is a risk. So make sure when you mount the bike, there are a couple of options. One, keep the motor off and two, you can also engage the brake. To engage the brake with your opposite hand while you're mounting, that way even if you accidentally hit the motor or something, you've got that break engaged and the bike's not going anywhere, but my number one suggestion, don't turn the motor on until you're on the bike.

Also, turn the motor off before you get off the bike. It's going to eliminate the bike going anywhere. Also, if you accidentally pedal the pedal and it's a pedal assist, it's going to engage that. So my suggestion, when mounting, leave it off. Once you get on, turn it on. Turn it off before you get off.

The other thing I could see happening is if someone's riding and for all of a sudden, they get hysterical or something happens and they get startled. They may accidentally twist the throttle or push the thumb throttle and boom, the bikes off and going. Just like a car instead of hitting a brake versus the gas, on an e-bike, you could accidentally push the throttle versus pulling the brake. So let's say you're pulling up to an intersection instead of breaking on your bike, you hit the gas. Well, we know how you might hit a car or you might hit a pedestrian, might do something like that. So my suggestion is just to familiarize yourself with the different elements.

Just like a motorcycle, you have to pass a test and you have to know the throttle versus the brake versus the clutch. So motorcycles have a lot more going on. E-bikes don't have quite as much going on, but just familiarize yourself with, okay, this is the rear brake, this is the front brake, this is the throttle, just so you get that pattern down in your head. I think a lot of people probably get overconfident with electric bikes. They get on, they think it's so easy, and the reality is they haven't ingrained in their muscle memory where everything is, where the front brake is, where the rear brake is, where the thumb throttle is. And so they may accidentally hit something while they meant to hit something else. So don't underestimate the power of an e-bike. We've seen it in the news now. You can get injured if you don't properly ride it and you don't know what you're doing. So my suggestion is just, please, please, please familiarize yourself with everything and accidents can definitely be avoided.

The other thing I'll say is if you're not comfortable on an electric bike, stick to the flat ground in the beginning. Don't do a lot of hills. That's going to be safest, especially staying away from downhills, things of that nature. Now, I believe electric bikes are inherently safe, very safe. Usually the motors, they can only go up to 20 miles an hour and the braking power with these brakes is more than enough. Again, I think a lot of the accidents are just a case of over-confidence.

Now, how to prevent anything. So the reality is actually over the age of 18 by law, you don't have to wear a helmet on an electric bike in most places. Again, I don't want to speak to every single city in the US. I could be wrong. Please don't take my advice. Check your local state and regional laws, things of that nature. I'm speaking about where I know to be locally in California.

Now, it's different state by state and actually electric bikes require different classifications in some states, but regardless of the laws, regardless of whatever is required, wear a helmet. Number one, it's the most important thing. If you're on an electric bike, wear a helmet. If you want to take it a step further where some knee pads, wear some elbow pads. I know it's getting crazy, but the chance of an accident does exist. So if you really want to protect yourself, wear padding, wear a helmet.

The other thing is if you really want to be safe, keep the bike under 10 miles an hour. You don't have to go as fast as the bike can take you. Use it for what you need it for. And if you are going to go faster, please, please, please wear a helmet. That's my number one suggestion. So if you have any other questions or you disagree with anything I'd say, please, I'd love to hear. Comment below or you can reach us at theteam@sixthreezero.com or call us at (310) 982-2877.

And if you're in the market for an electric bike, please take our body fit quiz on our website. Our proprietary algorithm is going to fit an electric bike to your body based on your lifestyle and your riding habits and your body dimensions. I know there's a lot of options out there, so it's hard to find the right bike, the right fit for you, especially a bike that you can feel safe on. And don't forget, we have a 365-day return policy. So if you don't love your bike in 365 days, send it back. Zero questions asked, no money out of your pocket. So thank you for watching today, talking about electric bike accidents. It's an important topic. Safety is very important. So please wear a helmet. And don't forget, it's your journey, your experience. Enjoy the ride.