Getting There: With no helmet law on the books, ER doc notices increase in bicycle injuries

With a boom in electric bicycles on Spokane streets, some medical professionals say they’re noticing a potential safety problem.

The latest data from the Washington State Department of Transportation doesn’t indicate a rising trend of bicycle accidents, but Dana Bosworth, trauma coordinator for MultiCare Valley Hospital said she’s seen more recently.

“There’s been definitely an increase in the biking accidents, especially the e-bikes,” Bosworth said.

Bosworth said just last month a patient crashed an e-bike, which lacerated their spleen, and they couldn’t get free from the bike as their ankle got twisted and stuck in it. Depending on the bike, electric bikes can reach top speeds of 15.5 mph to 28 mph. After reaching top speed the bike’s motor cuts off but can go faster if the bike is pedal assisted.

This is a problem according to Bosworth, as most bicycle helmets are only rated for 14 mph. Crashing, even with a helmet, at that speed can lead to concussions and brain bleeds. Bosworth added that many people get on e-bikes and scooters intoxicated, which has caused many of the crashes she’s seen.

In the past 10 years, Spokane County had 14 cyclist fatalities, according to data from the Washington Traffic Safety Commission.

In bigger cities, like Seattle, the problem is worse. An article published by the University of Washington School of Medicine this year said crashes related to e-bikes and e-scooters have risen by nearly 36%.

Former Spokane County health officer and cyclist Bob Lutz said he often sees people on e-bikes and scooters going so fast that he couldn’t keep up in his car going a 25 mph speed limit.

“Obviously the magnitude of the injury is related to the speed of the vehicle,” said Lutz, a former member of Spokane’s Bicycle Advisory Board. “If I’m going 3 miles an hour on my bike and I fall over, I get a bruise. If I’m going 30 miles and I fall over, I’m going to have more than a bruise.”

Another University of Washington study from 2019 found that while 90% of cyclists wear helmets, only one in five people wear them when renting from a bike share company like Lime.

Spokane repealed a law requiring adults to wear helmets while cycling in 2022. Bosworth said that not wearing a helmet could increase injury to the rider in a crash.

“Without the helmet we have had individuals with intracranial bleeds,” Bosworth said. “So helmets are so important.”

Brain bleeds can have many effects on the body causing headaches, dizziness, seizures and eventually can cause permanent brain damage or death.

Lutz also said that he refuses to ride a bike without wearing a helmet and believes everyone should do the same.

“As someone who’s in public health, someone who’s a cyclist, someone who knows the literature, I really advocate cycling for its health benefits,” Lutz said. “But I would not be riding of any serious length without wearing a helmet.”

However, Lutz said the way helmets are enforced are important. If the helmet law was reintroduced in Spokane, Lutz said that it would have to have community support and be enforced without discrimination.

When King County repealed their helmet law, it cited data showing police fining Black and Native American bike riders at higher rates than white riders. A Spokane Police Department spokeswoman previously said to The Spokesman-Review that the $25 fine was rarely ever actually given out.

Lutz said that this, combined with public health being vilified since the COVID-19 pandemic, would make enforcing bike helmets difficult.

“I think that it would be somewhat difficult right now to try to re-initiate an ordinance,” Lutz said. “I don’t think the time is right, but I would like to see something on the books from a public health standpoint.”

Lutz noted education is an important part of getting people to wear bike helmets as when people do something since they were a kid it becomes a habit. Lutz said in his work with the Department of Health he often gave away helmets to kids in need and had a large box of them in his garage.

“It can’t just be legislatively determined,” Lutz said.

Bosworth said as part of her job she goes to schools with the Spokane Fire Department and educates students on injuries encouraging them to wear helmets.

However, Lutz said city infrastructure is just as important to increase bicycle safety. According to Bosworth, most bike crashes were involved with cars. Lutz said that sharing the road with cars can be difficult on streets with no bike lanes.

“You can’t be passive,” Lutz said. “There’s nothing scarier than riding downtown and having a car open its door because they’re not aware of you.”

Jon Snyder, director of transportation and sustainability for the city of Spokane, said more bicycle infrastructure is in the works for the city. Spokane received a $9.4 million grant from the federal Safe Streets for all program in 2023 for improvements to safe transportation in downtown including more bike lanes.

Snyder, a former Spokane city councilman, also said that last year the Spokane City Council unanimously approved the 27 by 27 initiative, which would implement 27 miles of bike infrastructure, including safer street crossings, by the end of 2027.

E-bikes and scooters have safety requirements like lights and reflectors, but problems often arise from people buying the vehicles online and not following regulations, Snyder said.

“There’s a lot of kind of cheap, you know, buy them on Amazon, not quite legal, e-bikes that don’t fit into any of those categories and are more like mopeds or e-motorcycles that are kind of quasi legal,” Snyder said.

However, Snyder said that it’s still too early to tell if e-bikes are becoming a large problem.

Despite the possible danger, Snyder said people should still continue to enjoy biking in Spokane as the city works to better safety.

“Take advantage of the awesome cycling. I just moved back from the West Side of the state, and it’s a little bit of a breath of fresh air coming over here,” Snyder said. “We still have lots more to do. We have some streets that are terrible and unsafe and that we need to improve on and we’re working hard on doing that, but there’s so much good cycling here.”