2025-2026 Group 1 - 2nd Place Essay by Samarth Krishnan

November 5th, 2025: A Long Island teenager dies in a collision with an SUV. CBS News reported that Jayden Flores, 14, was riding his e-bike to Mepham High School in North Bellmore when the crash happened. His helmet wasn't enough to save him (CBS News). This incident is part of a larger trend. Research shows injuries from e-bikes among teenagers increased significantly during 2011-2020, while traditional bicycle injuries decreased. E-bike injuries also required hospital admission more frequently (Goodman et al.). Many adolescents ride without knowing essential safety practices like maintaining safe speeds, yielding to traffic, and spotting road hazards. Because schools can provide repeated instruction, leverage existing safety programs, and ensure access to life-saving information, school-based e-bike safety education is an exemplary solution to prevent future tragedies.

To begin, schools are positioned to reach students during crucial years when safety habits develop. Schools should incorporate at least five mandatory lessons per year during homeroom or advisory periods in middle and high schools. Unlike shallow, one-time warnings from parents or manufacturers, repeated school instruction guarantees reinforcement, and as students are exposed to safety content, they can influence peers to ride safer. Schools in Marin County, California require students to complete an e-bike safety course before parking e-bikes on campus, showing that educational requirements can be successfully implemented (Safe Routes to School). The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration states that bicycle safety training should teach children handling skills, traffic signs and signals, proper helmet use, and maintenance (NHTSA). Schools can also partner with law enforcement for hands-on hazard avoidance training during PE.

Some argue that e-bike safety education adds unnecessary burden to school schedules. However, many schools already allocate time for digital safety training and substance abuse prevention. Reallocating this time to include e-bike safety can address the scheduling issue. Additionally, many high schools already have driving safety lessons, making e-bike safety a natural addition. Funding can be acquired through government grants. Examples include Safe Routes to School, which incorporates education with grants given by each state's coordinator and free materials (NHTSA). Programs like Bikeology demonstrate successful models that lower teacher preparation time (SHAPE America). Private companies can contribute through sponsorships, schools can provide free helmets, and students could create community safety posters.

Additionally, teaching e-bike safety in schools builds responsibility and awareness beyond the road. Head injuries are behind about 60% of hospital visits involving e-bike accidents, and the risk of an accident doubles for riders not wearing helmets (Miller Children's & Women's Hospital). Students with limited family support are more likely to not wear protective gear and get in accidents, but school-based education addresses this gap, ensuring every student receives life-saving information. To add on, when students learn traffic rules with peers, they develop ideas around safe riding behavior that individual parent-child conversations cannot achieve.

Jayden Flores's death was preventable and is a reality check. No student should lose their life on the way to a place built to protect their future. By introducing e-bike safety education, schools can ensure that tragedies like Jayden's are never repeated.

Bibliography

"A Long Island Teenager Died Thursday Morning in a Collision with an SUV." CBS News, cbsnews.com.

"E-Bike Education." Safe Routes to School, www.saferoutestoschools.org/education/e-bike-education/.

Goodman, Laura F., et al. "Electric Bicycles (E-bikes) Are an Increasingly Common Pediatric Public Health Problem." Surgery Open Science, vol. 14, Aug. 2023, pp. 46-51, doi:10.1016/j.sopen.2023.06.004.

"Bicycle Safety Education for Children." National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, www.nhtsa.gov/book/countermeasures-that-work/bicycle-safety/countermeasures/other-strategies-behavior-change-1.

"Bicycle Safety Curriculum." SHAPE America, www.shapeamerica.org/MemberPortal/publications/resources/teachingtools/qualitype/bicycle_curriculum.aspx.

Rodriguez, Jennifer. "E-Bike Popularity and Safety Concerns for Children and Teenagers." Miller Children's & Women's Hospital, www.millerchildrens.memorialcare.org/blog/e-bike-popularity-and-safety-concerns-children-and-teenagers.

"Safe Routes to School." National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, www.nhtsa.gov/book/countermeasures-that-work/bicycle-safety/countermeasures/other-strategies-behavior-change/safe.