It is officially E-Bike Safety Awareness Week in the city of Goleta. On Jan. 16, the Goleta City Council made the proclamation and released an e-bike safety tips video. Watch the video here. The goal of expanding E-Bike Safety Awareness Day, held for the first-time last year, to a weeklong event is to bring an important topic of concern to the forefront, provide education and ultimately prevent accidents and injuries from occurring.

Goleta Mayor Paula Perotte (left) presents the e-bike safety week proclamation to Kim Stanley-Zimmerman with MOVE Santa Barbara County on Jan. 16. Credit: City of Goleta photo

Mayor Paula Perotte presented the proclamation and said, “Electric bicycles are heavier and faster than standard bicycles and, without the proper safety education and training, e-bike riders have a higher risk of becoming severely injured or killed in a crash.”

Accepting the proclamation was Kim Stanley-Zimmerman with MOVE Santa Barbara County.

“There are many benefits to driving an e-bike including reducing traffic, parking demand and air pollution,” she said. “We are thrilled more people are riding e-bikes and excited to share what we know to help the community be safer during E-Bike Safety Awareness Week.”

City of Goleta’s Community Resource Deputy Ehren Rauch, who narrates the e-bike safety awareness video said, “Every day we have interactions that involve e-bikes and we often find that riders are not familiar with the laws that pertain to e-bikes. It’s important that anyone operating an e-bike understand they must follow the same traffic rules as vehicles.”

The State of California has e-bike safety laws in place that regulate who and where each type of e-bike can lawfully be ridden and that riders 17 years of age and under must always wear a helmet. Of course, it is strongly recommended that e-bike riders of all ages wear a helmet.

“Practicing bike safety precautions, especially wearing a helmet, is essential to preventing or minimizing injury, regardless of age,” said Lauren Sutherlin, Trauma Nurse Coordinator at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital. “Given the higher speeds associated with e-bikes, a properly fitting helmet significantly reduces the risk of serious head and brain injuries in the case of a fall or collision.”

According to the California Highway Patrol, there were more than 9,600 bicycle-involved crashes in California in 2022, 225 of which involved an e-bike (an increase over 80 the prior year) and four of which resulted in fatal injuries.

CHP has an online safety course available at https://www.chp.ca.gov/Programs-Services/Services-Information/Bike-and-Ped-Safety.

The city has activities planned throughout the week including helmet and light distributions at Dos Pueblos High School and Goleta Valley Junior High School, and a Community E-Bike Skills Class and Ride on Saturday, Jan. 20, from 1–3:30 p.m. at GVJH (6100 Stow Canyon Road). Advanced registration is recommended; sign up now at https://movesbcounty.org/events/. To participate, you must be at least 10 years old and bring your own e-bike and wear a helmet.

Partial funding for this event was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.