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What the poll found about parents’ e-bike knowledge
In the University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital National Poll on Children’s Health, just 6% of surveyed parents said they were very informed about different types of e-bikes. Another 27% described themselves as somewhat informed, while 67% said they were not informed. Asked where e-bikes are supposed to be ridden, 45% said they did not know.
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Among parents who named a riding location, 29% chose a bike lane, 11% a sidewalk, 10% the edge of the road, and 5% the lane with cars. These are the responses reported in the poll, not a ruling on where e-bikes are legally permitted: the rules can depend on local law and the bike’s class.
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How the survey was conducted
The report, “E-bikes: Unsafe or uncertain?”, was published September 21, 2026. Ipsos Public Affairs conducted the web-based survey for C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital in July 2026. The findings discussed here came from 1,234 parents with at least one child ages 11–18 in their household. Respondents were drawn from a randomly selected, stratified group of parents of children ages 0–18 in Ipsos’s KnowledgePanel; the results were weighted to reflect U.S. Census Bureau population figures. The report gives a 69% completion rate among contacted panel members and a margin of error of ±1 to 3 percentage points. The poll authors say the findings do not represent the opinions of the University of Michigan.
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The poll measures what parents said about their familiarity and views. It did not quiz them on e-bike rules, track crash or injury rates, or establish that limited familiarity causes unsafe riding.
Why parents are paying attention
E-bikes were part of many respondents’ surroundings: 55% said they often saw them in their community, 30% said they saw them occasionally, and 15% never did. Thirty-five percent said someone in their family had ridden one. The reported rider categories included a parent (19%), a teen (20%), a young adult (12%), and a pre-teen (8%); they can overlap because a family may have more than one rider.
Parents also saw practical and recreational benefits. Half cited transportation when a car is unavailable, 49% cited fun, and 45% said e-bikes can get children outside and active. Other potential benefits named were more freedom for teens to travel (35%) and helping younger children keep up with parents or older children (15%).
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How the three e-bike classes differ
The poll describes the commonly used three-class framework. The key distinctions are whether the motor requires pedaling, whether the bike has a throttle, and the maximum speed at which the motor assists.
| Class | How the motor works | Maximum assisted speed |
|---|---|---|
| Class 1 | Assists only while the rider pedals | 20 mph |
| Class 2 | A throttle can propel the bike without pedaling | 20 mph |
| Class 3 | Provides pedal assistance | 28 mph |
These class descriptions do not, by themselves, tell a family where a particular bike may be ridden or what age a rider must be. Some states and communities set minimum ages for certain classes, and requirements vary by location. Check the rules where the child will ride, including any restrictions on bike paths, sidewalks, roads, or particular classes. The poll does not provide a universal minimum age.
What the poll says—and does not say—about danger
Parents tended to rate e-bikes as more dangerous than regular bicycles: 65% said more dangerous, 3% safer, and 32% about the same. Their comparisons shifted with the reference activity.
| Compared with e-bikes, parents rated e-bikes as… | More dangerous | Safer | About the same |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular bikes | 65% | 3% | 32% |
| Driving a car | 36% | 20% | 44% |
| Skateboarding | 30% | 24% | 46% |
| Off-roading or ATVs | 13% | 37% | 50% |
These are perceptions of relative safety, not comparisons of injury probability. The poll does not establish that e-bikes cause more or fewer injuries than any of these activities.
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How parents can make a riding decision
A legal minimum age, where one applies, is only one part of deciding whether a child is ready. The report says parents should consider a child’s experience, judgment, maturity, and ability to follow traffic and safety rules. A practical family discussion can make that assessment more concrete:
- Identify the bike and its class. Confirm whether it is pedal-assist or throttle-equipped and its assisted-speed limit; do not assume every e-bike handles or accelerates the same way.
- Check local rules and routes. Verify which roads, bike lanes, paths, and other spaces permit that class. Dedicated bike lanes may not be widely available, so plan a route that does not depend on guessing at the roadside.
- Match the bike and pace to the rider. The report flags a bike’s size or weight being unsuitable as a risk consideration. Make sure the child can control it and can judge when to slow down.
- Agree on riding expectations. Discuss speed, route choice, attention to traffic, and keeping a safe distance from pedestrians. The report identifies weaving through traffic and riding too close to pedestrians as concerns.
- Make visibility and protection part of the plan. Set expectations for helmet use, lights, and reflective gear, especially when visibility is reduced. The poll identifies lack of helmet use as a risk consideration.
Speed matters because it can leave a rider less time to react to hazards. For a child who is still developing traffic judgment, the relevant question is not only whether the child can operate the bike, but whether they can anticipate conflicts, follow the agreed route, and respond safely when conditions change.
What parents want from policy
Support in the poll was strongest for helmet requirements: 80% strongly supported them. Other measures received support from 68% for labels showing minimum ages for different e-bike types, 63% for clearer markings about where to ride, 59% for an age-18 requirement for the most powerful e-bikes, and 57% for required safety training. Eleven percent strongly supported a complete e-bike ban. These answers describe policy preferences among surveyed parents, not laws currently in force.
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