E-bike takeover: North Kansas City Schools teacher takes action on student e-bike safety

KSHB 41 News reporter Lauren Schwentker covers stories in the Northland, including in Clay and Platte counties. Have a story idea? Send her an email.

—

E-bikes are growing in popularity among students in the Northland, and North Kansas City Schools is taking a proactive approach to address safety concerns before the school year begins.

Parents said students are riding in large groups, traveling at high speeds and even moving into traffic.

Jason Starnes, a parent whose son rides his bike to Gateway 6th Grade Center every day, said the trend has grown significantly.

"It's really picked up, like even over the summer," Starnes said. "I've seen large groups of kids going through the neighborhoods."

Lauren Schwentker/KSHB 41

Starnes said he worries about younger riders who may not be aware of traffic rules.

"They go fast through neighborhoods, they don't pay attention to street signs," Starnes said.

His son Jaxton and Jaxton's friend Braden Wessinger are both going into seventh grade and are avoiding e-bikes for now.

Lauren Schwentker/KSHB 41

"They speed a lot and there's a ton of people in one group," Wessinger said.

Wessinger also described encounters with e-bike riders on his street.

"They will stay on my street and won't move if there's a car coming or anything," Wessinger said.

North Kansas City Schools PE teacher Matt Barrows decided to take action.

Lauren Schwentker/KSHB 41

"We're being proactive to teach these awareness and skills and safety," Barrows said.

North Kansas City Schools is partnering with BikeWalkKC, a nonprofit organization currently developing a guide on e-bikes ahead of the school year to help prevent injuries.

On Saturday, everyone will have the opportunity to learn more about what these bikes are capable of at Gateway 6th Grade Center.

Barrows said the goal is to prepare students for a reality that is not going away.

"We're not going to see these things go away," Barrows said. "It's essentially teaching the skills of the road."

Emergency room doctors say they are seeing a significant number of injuries related to e-bikes and e-scooters.

Up to 42% of patients injured on an e-bike or e-scooter sustain head injuries. Broken bones, particularly in the upper extremities, are also common as riders often fall and try to catch themselves with their arms.

Doctors say many of those injuries happen at night when riders leave downtown establishments without helmets or proper footwear, sometimes with two people sharing a single scooter, and then hit an uneven sidewalk or a pothole.

Doctors offered the following safety advice for anyone riding an e-bike or e-scooter.:

• Ride during daylight hours when visibility is better.
• Know how fast and how powerful the vehicle is before riding. For children, choose a model that does not exceed 10 to 15 miles per hour and is not too heavy for them to handle.
• Wear a helmet — and not just a standard bike helmet. If you are traveling faster than a regular bicycle, a more substantial helmet is needed to prevent serious head injury.

The event this Saturday is open to everyone and runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Gateway 6th Grade Center in the Northland.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

—