Development of German pedelec (and bicycle) accidents between 2012 and 2020

Abstract

In the recent years, pedelecs (pedal electric cycles) have seen a massive growth. in ridership. In 2013, around 1.3 million e-bilces were on German roads, while in 2020, this number was already at 8.5 million (with about 99% of the e-bikes being pedelecs). The rapid spread of pedelecs has given rise to concerns for road safety, especially due to the fact that riders of electric bicycles reach higher speeds. Indeed, some studies have reported that pedelec riders suffer from more severe crashes than users of conventional bikes. However, the highly dynamic development in pedelec ownership and use might cast some doubts on the long term validity of investigations of pedelec accidents and their characteristics that have to rely on data collected over shorter periods of time. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate pedelec accidents and their characterutics over several years in a longitudinal fashion. and compare them to accidents involving cyclists, tobe able to identify trends, and to clarify whether such trends are specifiic to pedelecs. [From: Introduction