MILFORD, Mass. — Police departments across the state are continuing their push to raise e-bike safety awareness as warmer weather approaches.
Between how fast e-bikes can go, and where some teens are riding them, police fear that without the right education, there could be more accidents.
While they can be a speedy and efficient way to get around, Milford police say they are becoming a growing cause for concern.
“There’s been an increase in incidents, accidents, even injuries and that’s where it starts impacting the entire community,” Lt. Steven Sousa explained.
Investigators there were ten serious accidents involving e-bikes last year and since March 14th of this year, there have been 9 more incidents ranging from collisions with vehicles, weaving through traffic and riding on sidewalks and grass of parks.
“A lot of them, the e-bikes are being sold as e-bikes but technically its above a certain speed limit where you cross that threshold it’s no longer an e-bike its a motorized bike and a lot of parents buy it thinking they are just buying their kids an e-bike,” Sousa said.
In one instance, a 15-year-old lost control of the e-bike and slammed into a car.
“It’s a traumatic event for the rider, the car that’s involved even the parents and that’s a lot to go through.” Sousa added.
This as some are asking what happens when it’s not a car and it’s a pedestrian struck instead.
“I said ‘what is that?’ and I turned and as I turned, a moped or e-bike flew by I don’t know maybe half an inch,” Francesca Olson explained.
Olson tells Boston 25 News she was nearly struck by a motorized bike while walking her dog in a Wellesley park, the last place she says she’d expect to see the e-bike she thought was a motorcycle.
“I felt like the air fly by me and for a split second I completely gasped. I saw my life pass before my eyes and I stood up and was like oh my god, what the heck was that? Was that a person on a motorcycle on a school field? Was that a child?” she recalled wondering.
While Olson has been advocating for more restrictions in the area ever since, in Stoneham, a 13-year-old boy lost his life riding an e-bike when he collided with a car in November of 2025.
It’s a case that remains under investigation to this day and now Stoneham is one of several local departments continuing their work to raise awareness.
Hoping that with more education, more lives can be saved.”
“That’s part of it, parents don’t realize how fast these things can go and kids are so great with the technology now they can manipulate them, so we want parents to have as much information as possible, so kids are safe and at the end of the day that’s what we want,” Lt. David Thistle said.
Stoneham police will also be hosting a bicycle, e-bike, e-scooter & e-dirtbike safety and legal consequences event at the high school on Thursday, April 2nd at 6 p.m.
The fire department will also be present to discuss safe storage practices as well as Middlesex District Attorney, Marian T. Ryan.
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