PHOENIX
—
On
Monday,
ABC15
shared
a
report
from
the
Cleveland
Clinic
on
the
rising
number
of
traumatic
injuries
tied
to
e-bikes
and
electric
scooters
nationally.
Now
ABC15
Mornings
Anchor
Kaley
O’Kelley
is
following
through
on
that
story
by
bringing
it
home,
looking
at
what’s
happening
right
here
in
the
Valley,
and
what’s
being
done
about
it.

O’Kelley
spent
time
with

John
Boyd,
an
injury
prevention
specialist
at
Phoenix
Children’s
hospital,
who
leads
the
hospital’s
rider
safety
program.
Before
joining
Phoenix
Children’s,
Boyd
spent
years
with
the
Phoenix
Police
Department,
where
he
served
as
the
bike
and
pedestrian
safety
coordinator.

Doctors
at
Phoenix
Children’s
say
they’re
treating
everything
from
broken
bones
to
traumatic
brain
injuries
in
kids
who
ride
e-bikes
and
scooters,
and
experts
warn
that
standard
bicycle
helmets
aren’t
built
to
protect
against
the
kind
of
high-speed
crashes
these
bikes
can
cause
—
riders
need
helmets
designed
specifically
for
e-bikes
and
scooters.

Boyd
says
the
biggest
misconception
is
that
these
bikes
are
just
toys.

“They’re
not
toys.
They’re
not
like
a
regular
bike,”
Boyd
said.
“Regular
bike,
you
have
your
legs
to
pedal.
That’s
your
engine.
But
these
bikes
have
electric
batteries
that
charge
an
engine
that
runs
it
faster.
It’s
not
only
going
to
go
faster;
it’s
going
to
go
quicker,
sooner.
And
that’s
the
issue.
These
bikes
go
so
quick
and
so
fast
that
they
get
out
of
control,
and
that’s
where
the
issues
come
from.”

Some
e-bikes
can
reach
speeds
of
30
to
40
miles
an
hour
—
comparable
to
a
car
—
but
without
the
seat
belts,
airbags
or
metal
frame
that
protect
drivers.

Boyd
says
the
most
common
injuries
he
sees
are
concussions
and
traumatic
brain
injuries,
which
he
says
affect
far
more
than
just
the
child.

RELATED:
Glendale
e-bike,
e-scooter
ordinance
goes
into
effect
in
effort
to
increase
safety

“It
doesn’t
just
affect
the
child
or
the
person
that
has
the
injury,”
Boyd
said.
“It
affects
the
whole
family
—
the
parents,
the
caregivers,
the
siblings,
even.”

Boyd’s
program
takes
him
into
schools,
Boys
&
Girls
Clubs,
YMCAs,
Head
Starts
and
community
events
across
the
Valley.
He
also
works
directly
with
homeowners
associations
that
reach
out
to
him.
At
the
center
of
it
is
what
he
calls
a
bike
rodeo
—
a
hands-on
safety
course
set
up
in
a
parking
lot,
complete
with
stop
signs,
crosswalks
and
obstacles.

“I’ll
teach
bike
safety
in
the
classroom,
and
I
have
a
hands-on
course
where
I
go
out
to
a
parking
lot
and
set
up
an
entire
bike
safety
course,
where
we
have
stop
signs,
crosswalks,
intersections,”
Boyd
said.
“I’m
teaching
them
the
hands-on
and
what
to
look
for
when
they
get
on
the
street.”

Boyd
says
the
single
most
important
thing
parents
can
do
costs
nothing:
talk
to
their
kids
before
the
bike
is
ever
purchased.

“Go
over
the
rules
of
the
road.
Go
over
why
it’s
important
to
wear
a
helmet.
Go
over
what
your
rules
are
going
to
be,”
Boyd
said.
“Establish
some
rules
in
your
house,
stick
to
those
rules,
and
you
both
can
be
much
better.”

Some
East
Valley
cities
are
already
taking
additional
steps.

Scottsdale
has
implemented
restrictions
on
e-bikes
for
younger
riders,
and
Boyd
says
he
expects
other
Valley
cities
to
consider
similar
rules.

RELATED:
Gilbert
police
conduct
proactive
e-bike
patrols,
urge
parents
to
help
keep
teen
riders
safe

“All
it
takes
is
one
city,
one
school,
one
Boys
and
Girls
Club
to
start
a
program,”
Boyd
said.
“I
hope
within
the
next
year
or
so,
other
cities
are
jumping
on
board.”

Phoenix
Children’s
injury
prevention
team
offers
these
tips
for
families:

• Choose
  a
  helmet
  that
  meets
  Consumer
  Product
  Safety
  Commission
  standards,
  sits
  low
  on
  the
  forehead
  just
  above
  the
  eyebrows,
  and
  has
  no
  more
  than
  one
  finger
  of
  space
  between
  the
  chinstrap
  and
  the
  chin
  —
  and
  replace
  it
  after
  any
  crash.
• Buy
  from
  a
  local
  bike
  shop
  rather
  than
  the
  internet,
  since
  Boyd
  says
  many
  recalled
  e-bikes
  come
  from
  online
  marketplaces,
  and
  a
  shop
  can
  show
  riders
  how
  to
  safely
  operate
  the
  bike.
• Teach
  the
  rules
  of
  the
  road:
  stay
  on
  the
  right
  side
  of
  the
  road,
  stop
  and
  look
  both
  ways
  before
  entering
  a
  street,
  avoid
  phones
  and
  headphones
  while
  riding,
  and
  use
  lights
  if
  riding
  after
  dark.
• Do
  an
  ABC
  check
  before
  every
  ride
  —
  air
  in
  the
  tires,
  brakes
  in
  good
  working
  condition,
  and
  a
  chain
  that’s
  oiled
  and
  not
  rusted.
• Set
  family
  rules
  before
  the
  purchase,
  agreeing
  on
  expectations
  for
  where
  and
  when
  a
  child
  can
  ride
  before
  the
  bike
  ever
  comes
  home.

Boyd
says
he’d
rather
spend
an
afternoon
in
a
parking
lot
teaching
a
child
to
ride
safely
than
see
that
child
in
his
hospital’s
emergency
room.

“I
want
to
go
to
your
child’s
school,
and
I
want
to
be
there
and
set
up
a
bike
rodeo
and
have
fun
with
it,”
Boyd
said.