Electric bike riding safety in 12-year old children will be the main topic of concern. At this age, most children begin their emotional and social development in earnest, starting to seek company of their friends instead of family. Oftentimes, this is also accompanied by puberty, as well as a general sense of slowly maturing. Children no longer feel the authority of their parent figures as strong as they had before, sometimes acting rebelliously or rashly. At the same time, young teens seek approval of their peer group, and have a high interest in experiencing new things. This tendency can manifest in a desire to engage in different types of dangerous activity, or learn more about one’s own capacity.
Electric bikes, then, present a significant danger to this demographic. Despite children as young as 4 being permitted to use electric bikes, the experience of riding one can be destructive When handled irresponsibly, they become more harmful than regular bikes, and their use has to be tightly regulated. Capable of reaching high speeds, they are prone to getting children in accidents and creating different dangerous situations.
More education for children at the age of 12, as they are more likely to procure injuries in bike accidents, and prone to using electric bikes. As a result of electric bike crashes, physical damage to one’s head, fractured bones and brain contusion are all possible (Ramakrishnaiah et al., 2013). Current research shows that children near the age of 12 are far more likely to injure themselves using electric bikes (Ramakrishnaiah et al., 2013). Statistics on bike injury on both adults and adolescents show that they are also more likely to suffer damage to the face or head (Gross et al., 2018). Despite the severity of the problem, helmet use in young bike riders remains exceptionally low, warranting a need for better educational practices (Allen et al., 2022). Education about proper safety measures, helmet wearing and proper riding techniques for adolescent children can work toward reducing the number of bike accidents in this population.
References
Allen, J. H., Yengo-Kahn, A. M., Vittetoe, K. L., Greeno, A., Owais Abdul Ghani, M., Unni, P., Lovvorn, H. N., & Bonfield, C. M. (2022). The impact of helmet use on neurosurgical care and outcomes after pediatric all-terrain vehicle and dirt bike crashes: A 10-year single-center experience. Journal of Neurosurgery: Pediatrics, 29(1), 106-114. Web.
Gross, I., Weiss, D. J., Eliasi, E., Bala, M., & Hashavya, S. (2018). E-bike–related trauma in children and adults. The Journal of Emergency Medicine, 54(6), 793-798.
Ramakrishnaiah, R. H., Shah, C., Parnell-Beasley, D., & Greenberg, B. S. (2013). Motorized dirt bike injuries in children. The Journal of Emergency Medicine, 44(4), 806-810.