E-bike injuries are surging across San Diego County, straining hospital emergency rooms and prompting a wave of local legislation — including new rules in Santee — but doctors say the laws may not go far enough.

According to an investigation by inewsource, trauma centers in San Diego County reported 294 e-bike injuries in 2024 — a 54 percent jump from 191 the year before. Rady Children's Hospital reported treating just 3 e-bike injuries in 2021; last year that number exceeded 250. Pediatric surgeon Dr. Romeo Ignacio Jr. described the trend bluntly: "The numbers keep on increasing, and it seems like every two years it's doubling."

Santee is among six San Diego County cities — alongside Carlsbad, Poway, San Marcos, Chula Vista, and Coronado — that have adopted a state pilot program allowing them to prohibit children under 12 from operating Class 1 and 2 e-bikes. Santee's ordinance took effect in December 2025, with a 60-day warning period before fines began in March 2026. The city also prohibits riders under 16 from operating Class 3 e-bikes, bans riding on signed sidewalks, and requires helmets for all riders under 18.

But the six-city restrictions have drawn criticism: in Carlsbad, roughly half of e-bike injuries from 2019 to 2025 occurred among kids between 12 and 17 — the exact age group the under-12 ban does not cover. Emergency physicians are calling for broader action. Dr. William Bianchi of Sharp Coronado Hospital described e-bikes as "basically like small motorcycles," citing concussions, bone fractures, and in some cases collapsed lungs and cerebral hemorrhages.

The issue hit home in Santee Tuesday, when deputies responding to a hit-and-run crash on Mission Gorge Road watched several additional juvenile e-motorcycle riders flee the scene by crossing center medians into oncoming traffic. The Santee Sheriff's Traffic Unit continues to investigate the original collision. Anyone with safety concerns is encouraged to contact the Santee Sheriff's Station at (619) 956-4000.