Brief

Deaths From E-Bike Accidents Are on the Rise in Israel

If the trend seen for the first half of 2018 continues, this year will have triple the amount of deaths seen in 2017, says state official

Deaths as a result of electrical bike accidents are on the rise in Israel, according to Kobi Peleg, director of the Israel National Center for Trauma and Emergency Medicine Research. Speaking at a parliamentary meeting on Wednesday, Mr. Peleg said 22 people will die from such accidents by the end of 2018 if the trend seen for the first half of the year continues, tripling the amount of fatalities seen in 2017. Israel currently has around 210,000 e-bikes on its roads, but many municipalities lack the infrastructure necessary to make their use safe, leading to an increasing amount of accidents, especially as many users are below the legal age limit.

 

E-bike accident. Photo: Yair Sagi