New York Personal Injury Attorneys BlogNYC E-Bike Collisions Rise Nearly 32% as City Council Considers 17 New Safety Measures
New York City lawmakers are undertaking a sweeping review of e-bike and e-scooter safety as collisions involving e-bikes continue to rise across the five boroughs
On August 4, 2026, New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin announced that the Council will hold a comprehensive hearing on September 30 to examine e-bike and e-scooter safety, enforcement of existing laws, and at least 17 legislative proposals intended to address the growing risks associated with electric bicycles, scooters and other forms of micromobility.
According to the City Council, more than 500 e-bike collisions have already occurred in New York City in 2026, representing a 31.7% increase compared with the same period last year.
The proposed measures could significantly change how e-bikes are regulated in New York City and, importantly for accident victims, could create new requirements involving delivery companies, vehicle identification, insurance, rider information and the preservation of delivery data.
Why Is New York City Reviewing E-Bike Safety?
E-bikes have become an integral part of transportation in New York City, particularly for thousands of workers making restaurant and grocery deliveries. At the same time, the increasing number and speed of electric bikes, scooters and illegal high-speed electric motorcycles on crowded city streets have created serious concerns for pedestrians, cyclists and other road users.
The City Council cited several recent serious crashes in announcing its review, including a deadly May collision on the Queensboro Bridge involving an illegal high-speed electric scooter and a Central Park collision that left a jogger critically injured.
The Council’s review is intended to look beyond individual crashes and examine whether changes in regulation, enforcement, street design and corporate responsibility could reduce injuries and fatalities.
What Are the 17 E-Bike Safety Proposals?
Not all of the anticipated legislation has been formally introduced, and the details could change before the September 30 hearing. However, the City Council has identified several measures already under consideration.
Among the proposals are:
- Banning the sale and rental of Class 3 e-bikes in New York City. One proposal, Intro. 244, would prohibit the sale and rental of Class 3 e-bikes and establish civil penalties for violations.
- Licensing delivery companies. Intro. 950 would require certain delivery services to obtain licenses from the New York City Department of Consumer and Worker Protection.
- Requiring delivery apps to provide more information about deliveries. Intro. 78 would require third-party delivery platforms to provide information concerning their delivery workers, deliveries, locations and delivery times.
- Verifying moped registration. Intro. 389 would require food-delivery platforms to verify that mopeds used by their workers are properly registered.
- Expanding commercial bicycle safety requirements. Intro. 110 would expand existing commercial bicycle regulations to cover additional vehicles used for deliveries, including e-bikes, mopeds and motorcycles.
- Increasing transparency surrounding NYPD enforcement. Intro. 787 would require additional reporting about targeted traffic enforcement, including enforcement involving e-bikes and e-scooters.
- Studying safer street infrastructure. Intro. 124 would establish a task force to examine infrastructure changes that could improve safety for pedestrians, cyclists, motorists and micromobility users.
Other measures under consideration include establishing e-bike registration and licensing requirements, increasing penalties for riders who leave the scene of a collision, creating incentives to trade in unsafe electric vehicles and potentially requiring insurance for third-party delivery companies.
Some of these changes would require action by the New York State Legislature rather than the City Council.
Delivery Companies Could Face Greater Scrutiny
One of the most significant aspects of the proposed legislation is its focus on the companies behind New York City’s enormous delivery industry.
When a pedestrian is seriously injured by a delivery worker, determining who may be legally responsible can be complicated. Questions can arise concerning the identity of the rider, whether the rider was making a delivery at the time of the collision, what platform was being used, whether insurance coverage exists and what information the delivery company possesses about the rider and trip.
The proposals requiring delivery platforms to maintain or disclose information about drivers, deliveries, locations and delivery times could therefore have implications beyond traffic enforcement.
Electronic information may become important evidence after a serious e-bike accident.
Depending on the circumstances, potentially relevant evidence may include app records, GPS or location information, delivery assignments, timestamps, communications with the rider, photographs or video surveillance, witness statements and information identifying the bicycle, moped or other vehicle involved.
Preserving this evidence quickly can be particularly important after a hit-and-run collision.
Would E-Bike Insurance Requirements Help Accident Victims?
Insurance is another important issue expected to be considered by the Council.
When someone is catastrophically injured by a car or truck, there is generally an identifiable vehicle and an applicable automobile insurance policy. An accident involving an e-bike can present a very different situation.
A severely injured pedestrian may face substantial medical expenses, lost earnings and lifelong consequences while discovering that the individual rider has limited financial resources or insurance coverage.
Insurance requirements applicable to delivery companies could potentially provide an additional source of financial protection for people seriously injured in delivery-related crashes, depending on how any eventual legislation is structured.
The details will matter. The Council is currently reviewing proposals; these requirements should not be confused with laws already in effect.
What Should You Do If You Are Hit by an E-Bike in New York City?
People injured by e-bikes should treat the accident as seriously as they would any other traffic collision, particularly when the rider is working for a delivery service.
When possible, victims or family members should obtain the rider’s identifying information, photograph the e-bike and accident scene, identify the delivery platform involved, obtain contact information from witnesses and report the collision to the police.
Nearby surveillance footage can also be extremely important. New York City businesses, residential buildings, buses and traffic infrastructure may have cameras that captured the collision or the rider immediately before or after it.
That evidence may not be retained indefinitely.
For serious injuries, an attorney can investigate the accident and take steps to identify potentially responsible parties and preserve evidence before it disappears.
Who May Be Liable After an E-Bike Accident?
Liability depends on the facts of each accident.
A negligent e-bike rider may be responsible for causing a collision, but an investigation should not necessarily end with the rider. Depending on the circumstances, questions may also arise regarding a delivery company, another motorist, a business, the owner or operator of another vehicle, a defective e-bike or component, or a dangerous roadway condition.
Cases involving commercial delivery riders can be particularly complicated because the relationship between the rider and the delivery platform may become an important legal issue.
Determining all potentially responsible parties can be especially important when an accident results in catastrophic injuries such as traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, fractures or wrongful death.
New York’s E-Bike Laws Are Rapidly Evolving
The September 30 City Council hearing could represent an important step in New York City’s approach to e-bike and e-scooter safety.
The debate is likely to involve balancing several legitimate concerns: protecting pedestrians and cyclists, maintaining e-bikes as an important transportation option, protecting delivery workers, addressing illegal high-speed electric motorcycles and determining what responsibilities should be imposed on the large companies that profit from app-based deliveries.
For accident victims, however, one issue deserves particular attention: accountability.
Better identification of riders, meaningful insurance coverage, preservation of delivery records and greater transparency from delivery companies could make a significant difference when someone suffers a life-changing injury in an e-bike collision.
The September hearing should provide a clearer picture of which of the 17 proposals the Council intends to advance and how extensively New York City’s e-bike laws could change.
Injured in an E-Bike Accident in New York?
The e-bike accident attorneys at Gair, Gair, Conason, Rubinowitz, Bloom, Hershenhorn, Steigman & Mackauf represent pedestrians, bicyclists and others who have suffered serious injuries in traffic accidents throughout New York City.
Our attorneys investigate serious e-bike and bicycle accidents to determine how the collision occurred, identify potentially responsible parties and insurance coverage, and preserve evidence that may be critical to a claim.
If you or a family member has been seriously injured in an e-bike accident, contact our New York personal injury attorneys at 212-943-1090 for a free consultation.
