HARTFORD, Conn. — While the total number of deaths on state roads has been trending down so far this year, one number is up considerably: fatalities and injuries involving bikes and e-bikes.

“Wow, there’s something going on here,” Department of Transportation spokesperson Josh Morgan said, after seeing a more than a 350% increase in deaths.

According to the Connecticut Crash Data Repository, there have been six deaths in crashes involving bikes or e-bikes vs. an automobile to date this year. These deaths and injuries have occurred even as the state heads toward new, stricter e-bikes laws that take effect Oct. 1.

“Six may seem like a small number compared to a total of 124 (deaths), compared to 166 at this time last year, that have died on the state roads this year,” Morgan said.

But Morgan said typically in mid to late July, there would be typically one or two bike/e-bike death in the state so far in the year.

“Seeing that number six is concerning, because we have a lot of summer left, we have a lot of fall left and people are going to be out with about,” Morgan said.

“You have the trends overall are, positive. But we don’t want to lose sight that there’s still 124 people who have been killed (on roads), but the numbers are better than last year, but the bicyclist numbers are definitely concerning.”

Morgan cited warmer winters providing a longer biking season in the state as one possible reason for the growing number.

The number of biking/e-biking deaths could reach double digits this year for the first time in years.

In each of the last three years, Morgan said there were four bicyclists killed by vehicle crashes. He added that 2022 was one of the worst years on Connecticut roads in decades with 366 fatalities and there were four involving bikes and e-bikes.

“I would suspect (hitting) double digits. I hope I’m wrong on that, but that’s definitely an alarming trend that we’re seeing,” Morgan said.

‘Explosion’ of injuries

Amy Watkins, the assistant manager of Connecticut Children’s Injury Prevention Center, said Connecticut Children’s Medical Center has seen a spike in bike and e-bike related injuries this year.

“To start off, bicycle deaths are at a 10-year high in Connecticut,” Watkins said.

Watkins said, according to watchforme.com, the state has in fact seven deaths related to e-bike/bikes vs. vehicle crashes in 2025 to date. She described the one additional death as resulting from a bike accident in which the biker died more than 30 days later. She said the Connecticut Crash Data Repository numbers don’t reflect fatalities that far after the initial crash.

Watkins said the state averages between two and five bike/e-bike fatalities per year.

“The last time we were at seven deaths it was 2016 and that was for the entire year,” Watkins said. “This is more than a 350% increase over last year.”

Watkins added that seven deaths doesn’t not include people who have died on bikes or e-bikes in the state that did not involve collisions with a vehicle, so the numbers could potentially be higher.

Specifically at Connecticut Children’s, the emergency department treated three e-bike injuries in May and June of 2024. In that same time frame this May and June there were 25, according to Watkins.

“We are seeing a rise in injuries and deaths involving bikes and e-bikes. I think the overall driver of this increase is the availability and affordability of e-bicycles,” Watkins said. “A standard bicycle can go 12-to-14 miles per hour and bicycle helmets are good at a max 20 miles per hour.”

“We have a combination of things that are happening here. One is that inexperienced riders are getting these (as) gifts or using a friend’s bicycle and they don’t have the right gear, so they don’t they’re not wearing helmets. If they are wearing helmets, they may not be wearing the right helmet. A bicycle helmet is not going to protect you at 28 miles per hour.”

She noted that some new riders don’t know they are supposed to ride, per Connecticut law, with traffic and on the right side of the road.

“A lot of people are riding the wrong way and are not sure how to safely across the road on their bike. There’s a lot of inexperience as far as knowing how to handle road hazards, like storm grates, sand and water, like all of the things that are present out there.”

“People are excited and they get on the bike, they don’t have the right gear, they don’t know how to ride correctly, and they are going at very high speeds, and they got resulting in these crashes and these injuries,” Watkins said.

Among the new state laws regarding e-bikes going into effect on Oct. 1 includes that bikes over 3,500 watts are expected to need registration and insurance and e-bikes without pedals and batteries over 750 watts will be classified as motor-driven cycles and require a driver’s license to operate them.

Watkins said a possible solution is putting a prohibition on riding an e-bike until children are 16, a law seen in some other states.

“Children are still developing and don’t have the motor skills or cognitive skills to fully develop and handle the risk when they are 12 or 13-years old on a e-bike,” Watkins said.

“The other thing is education around head protection. There is a law in Connecticut that is unenforced and that law has been up until Oct. 1 was up until age 16 you have to wear a bicycle helmet. The new law has changed that to 18.”

Watkins said in the state, Connecticut law requires anyone riding an e-bike must wear a helmet.

“We also like people to know that they may need to look into a higher speed helmet or motorcycle helmet or something else that offers protection on for higher speed crashes,” Watkins said.

Watkins said for e-bike riders to brush up on the rules of biking.

“Just take it very seriously because unlike a car where you’re protected all this steel when you hit something, you’re going to be protected,” Watkins said. “There’s a lot of safety gear in cars that protect you. ”

Dr. James Dodington, a pediatric emergency medicine specialist with Yale Medicine, said there has been an “explosion in adolescent and adult injuries” involving e-bikes over the last year or two.

“It is really striking to those of us who practice in emergency medicine, particularly pediatric emergency medicine that we are seeing absolutely an increase in (e-bike) injuries,” Dodington said.

Dodington said he and his colleagues have seen a rise in patients coming through their doors with catastrophic injuries and fatalities.

“We want to relate to parents that e-bikes carry risks that are significantly greater than the standard bicycle,” Dodington said.

“Not just the speed increase but also decision making. We want people wearing helmets, but we should be starting to recommend motorcycle level helmeting for these situations…If you are going to be driving on the street with effectively what is more like a motorcycle than a bicycle…And I think parents have not been fully made aware of the risks because these bikes are just so openly available.”

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