Stuff Digital Edition

Sales boom, so do injuries

Joel MacManus

E-bike-related injuries have risen by more than 700 per cent over the last five years – but the figures appear to be more a sign of booming popularity of batterypowered bicycles than increased danger on the roads.

There were 1412 e-bike injury claims in 2021, up from just 167 in 2016, according to ACC figures.

That increase comes as e-bikes become more and more popular, with a sharp rise in numbers entering the country despite ongoing supply chain issues.

E-bikes and e-scooters are counted together in Stats NZ import data and have grown rapidly in recent years.

About 75,000 units were imported in 2021, up from 23,000 in 2017.

The growth suggests they could overtake new passenger car sales within the next few years. There were 112,226 new passenger cars registered in New Zealand last year, though this figure does not include second-hand imports.

Total cycling-related injuries dropped slightly over the past year, from more than 42,000 in 2020 to about 40,000 in 2021.

Despite the injury rates, ACC is actively encouraging more people to ride e-bikes for commuting, recreating and sport.

‘‘We like the fact that people are riding bikes, bike riding provides many health benefits, good for the environment and everything like that,’’ ACC injury prevention leader James Whitaker said. ‘‘We just want people to do it safely.’’

Light tissue injuries and fractures were some of the most commonly seen cycling injuries.

The biggest increase in injuries is among people aged 60 to 69, with claims increasing from fewer than 50 in 2017 to 453 last year – an increase of 860 per cent.

‘‘There’s a lot older New Zealanders getting injured while on e-bikes . . . a lot of people aged 60 and above are still really active, and they like to get out there and do things that make them happy,’’ Whitaker said.

Part of the reason for the increase in injuries was due to the fact that e-bikes could go about 30 kilometres an hour without pedalling, Whitaker said.

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2022-01-28T08:00:00.0000000Z

2022-01-28T08:00:00.0000000Z

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