By Erik Noonan
Minnesota just released its 2026 Electric-Assisted Bicycle Youth Operation Study, jointly prepared by the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) and the Minnesota Department of Public Safety. It is the most comprehensive look at youth e-bike use the state has ever produced — covering safety trends, hospital data, legal definitions, peer state comparisons, and policy recommendations.
The headline: the data does not support sweeping new restrictions on e-bikes. The report instead calls for education, clearer definitions, better infrastructure, and equitable access — work that BikeMN has been leading for years.
What the Data Shows on Youth Injuries
Minnesota Department of Health hospital data covers the 18-month window from October 1, 2023 through March 31, 2025, drawn from 140 hospitals in the Minnesota Hospital Association. During that period, 514 people were discharged with an e-bike-related injury. The breakdown by age group:
- Youth ages 0–14: 64 injuries (12% of total)
- Youth ages 15–17: 36 injuries (7% of total)
- Adults 18+: 414 injuries (81% of total)
Note: Minnesota law already prohibits anyone under age 15 from operating an e-bike. That those younger youth are underrepresented in the injury data relative to their population share is relevant context.
For youth ages 15–17, the severity picture matters:
- 98% of injuries were treated in the emergency department only — no inpatient hospitalization
- 2% of youth injuries resulted in inpatient hospitalization (compared to 18% for adults)
- 3% were classified as severe injuries (ISS score of 16 or greater)
- 7% involved traumatic brain injury
The most common crash type for youth was a non-collision (no other vehicle, object, or person involved), comprising 52% of youth e-bike injuries. Vehicle collisions accounted for 14% and bike/pedestrian collisions just 4%. In other words, most youth crashes happen in isolation — not as dangerous collisions with cars or other people.
E-Bikes vs. Motor Vehicles: Proportional Risk Matters
The study is explicit that e-bike risks must be placed in context. Citing the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), the report notes that in 2023 in Minnesota, 22 youth died in motor vehicle crashes compared to 6 youth deaths involving bicycle riders. Nationally, 9,146 youth were killed in motor vehicles compared to 84 on bicycles.
The report states directly: “Youth in the U.S. are statistically more likely to be injured or killed in motor vehicle crashes than on e-bikes or conventional bicycles.”
The study also notes a safety-in-numbers effect: as more people ride bicycles and e-bikes, risk per rider decreases. E-bikes that increase ridership may actually improve safety outcomes for cyclists overall.
The E-Bike vs. E-Moto Distinction Is Central
One of the most important themes in the study is the confusion between e-bikes and higher-powered devices — commonly called “e-motos” — that look similar but do not meet Minnesota’s legal definition of an e-bike because of excessive speed capabilities, or power, or other factors that make them operate differently from a bicycle or e-bike.
Under Minnesota law, an e-bike legally must: have fully operable pedals; be equipped with an electric motor of no more than 750 watts; meet the requirements of a Class 1, Class 2, Class 3, or multiple mode classification; and have a battery or electric drive system tested to an applicable safety standard by a third-party laboratory.
E-motos exceed those thresholds. They are often larger, heavier, faster, and sometimes resemble small dirt bikes. The study acknowledges that enforcement is difficult because it can be genuinely hard for the public — and even law enforcement — to tell the difference on sight.
Stakeholders interviewed in the study repeatedly identified e-moto use, not legal e-bike use, as the source of the most dangerous behavior being observed on streets and trails. This distinction matters enormously for how we talk about safety — and for what policy solutions will actually work.
That is why BikeMN is leading legislation this session to formally clarify in Minnesota statute that e-motos are not e-bikes: HF 3785. Clear statutory definitions protect legal riders of e-bikes from being swept up in enforcement actions targeting different, higher-powered devices.
What the Study Does NOT Recommend
This is where the study’s findings diverge most sharply from some of the loudest public conversations happening right now. The 2026 study does not recommend:
- A statewide helmet mandate for e-bike riders under 18
- Broad trail bans onl e-bike usage
- Raising the minimum operating age above 15
- New registration or licensing requirements
- Enforcement-first approaches to youth riding
In fact, the study explicitly warns that over-regulation and over-enforcement can have “unintended negative consequences, such as biased enforcement, and can create undue burden on youth, their families, and public safety agencies.” It specifically encourages law enforcement to prioritize education and awareness over enforcement of operator regulations (Action 1.9).
What the Study Does Recommend: 26 Actions Across 7 Strategies
The study lays out 26 specific actions organized around seven strategies. Here is a summary of each strategy and how BikeMN’s existing work maps directly onto it.
Strategy 1: Create broad awareness and understanding of e-bikes
The study calls for developing an e-bike education toolkit, deploying a statewide awareness campaign, building school-based curriculum aligned with existing K-8 requirements, school registration programs for high school riders, equity-focused outreach, incentive-linked education, and point-of-sale educational materials. It also calls for including bicycle safety in drivers’ education and encouraging ridership broadly.
BikeMN’s role: BikeMN is the primary statewide facilitator of bicycling education events and educational materials in Minnesota, including e-bike-specific content. We partner with schools, community organizations, local governments, and law enforcement to deliver consistent, youth-centered safety training across the state. This work is ongoing and expands every year.
Strategy 2: Proactively address unlawful e-bike and e-moto operation
The study recommends requiring retailers to disclose the minimum age restriction at the point of sale for every e-bike, requiring separate disclosures for e-motos clarifying they are not e-bikes, and directing the Attorney General to prioritize enforcement of retailer and manufacturer requirements.
BikeMN’s role: BikeMN’s legislative work this session on HF 3785 directly supports this strategy by creating clearer statutory definitions that retailers, law enforcement, and consumers can rely on. Our education programs consistently communicate what legally qualifies as an e-bike — and what does not.
Strategy 3: Reduce barriers to accessing e-bikes and safety equipment
This strategy includes establishing battery safety certification standards, requiring front lamps and reflectors at point of sale, expanding the E-Bike Rebate Program to incorporate safety education, requiring landlords to allow certified e-bike storage, and discounted bikeshare rates for low-income riders.
BikeMN’s role: BikeMN has been active in the policy development around Minnesota’s E-Bike Rebate Program. We support the expansion of that program with equity-centered design. Our community outreach prioritizes safety information and access in underserved communities across the state.
Strategy 4: Ensure clarity and consistency in e-bike riding rules
A single action anchors this strategy: require jurisdictions to allow e-bikes on trails and facilities where conventional bicycles are allowed, addressing the current patchwork of local rules that creates confusion for riders and inconsistent enforcement.
BikeMN’s role: Consistent, statewide rules for where e-bikes can ride is a core BikeMN policy priority. We work with local governments, park boards, and trail managers across Minnesota to promote clear, uniform access guidelines that reduce confusion for riders of all ages.
Strategy 5: Incorporate e-bikes into existing state programs
The study recommends integrating e-bike safety into existing statewide safety and mobility programming, and updating state fleet purchasing standards to emphasize safety features.
BikeMN’s role: BikeMN actively engages with MnDOT, the Department of Public Safety, and transportation planning partners to ensure e-bike considerations are embedded in statewide planning and safety programming. Our seat at that table — including on the Project Advisory Committee for this study itself — reflects that ongoing collaboration.
Strategy 6: Update infrastructure guidance to accommodate e-bikes
This strategy calls for reflecting best practices for designing bikeways that accommodate e-bikes in statewide plans, policies, and design standards, and providing guidance and resources to transportation partners.
BikeMN’s role: Infrastructure that works for e-bikes is infrastructure that works for all cyclists. BikeMN advocates for protected bike lanes, trail improvements, and design standards that reflect how people actually travel — including on e-bikes. We provide technical support to communities working to build better cycling environments.
Strategy 7: Improve e-bike safety and use data collection
The study identifies significant gaps in Minnesota’s e-bike data — noting that research on how U.S. youth use e-bikes is “largely missing.” It recommends expanding quantitative and qualitative data collection, developing safety performance metrics, and incorporating data into decision-making.
BikeMN’s role: BikeMN supports improved data collection and participates in research efforts to better understand bicycling trends and safety outcomes in Minnesota. Better data leads to better policy — which is why we have consistently pushed for more rigorous, consistent tracking of e-bike use statewide.
What This Means for Communities and Local Leaders
If you are a city council member, park district leader, school administrator, or public safety official who has been hearing concerns about e-bikes from constituents, this study gives you something valuable: a data-grounded framework for how to respond.
The concerns are real and deserve acknowledgment. But the data supports an approach built on education, clear definitions, consistent rules, and equitable access — not sweeping restrictions on e-bikes that would burden responsible youth riders, parents, commuters, and older adults who rely on e-bikes for mobility.
When frustration focuses on dangerous behavior, the study suggests asking: is the device involved an e-bike, or something else? That distinction changes both the problem and the solution.
BikeMN Can Help
We would love to bring this conversation to your community. BikeMN is available to facilitate informational meetings for city councils, school boards, park commissions, public safety teams, and community groups who want to understand the research, discuss what it means locally, and explore how to implement the study’s recommendations in practical ways.
Reach out to us at info@bikemn.org to schedule a session.
Additional e-bike resources are available at bikemn.org/initiatives/ebike/.
The Bottom Line
The 2026 Youth E-Bike Study confirms what advocates have long known: e-bikes are an important, growing part of Minnesota’s transportation system. They expand access to school, jobs, recreation, and independence — especially for youth who cannot drive and families who cannot afford multiple cars.
Safety challenges exist, and every injury matters. Community frustrations deserve to be heard. Individual tragedies are real.
But the evidence does not support the narrative that e-bikes represent an out-of-control safety crisis requiring restrictive new laws. What it supports is a steady, evidence-based approach: education, infrastructure, clear definitions, consumer protection, proportional responses.
BikeMN is already doing this work — and we are committed to continuing it statewide.
Let’s build safer systems together.