Mopeds Or Power-assisted Cycles
Twenty years of CPSC NEISS emergency-room records for this consumer product category, combined with demographic breakdowns, multi-year injury trends, and matching recall notices.
Sports Protective Equipment & Gear · CPSC Code 3215
Up 155% over 5 years
The verdict
Mopeds Or Power-assisted Cycles carry a danger score of 54/100 (moderate risk), driven by roughly 23,152 ER-treated injuries a year that are rising by about 155% over the last five years.
- 54/100
- danger score (moderate risk)
- 23,152
- ER visits per year (avg)
- 14.1%
- end in hospital admission
- 15-24
- most-injured age group
Every figure is rendered from the CPSC NEISS record for product code 3215 - last data year 2023.
PlainSafety danger score
How this 54/100 score is built
The score is computed from four CPSC-derived factors for mopeds or power-assisted cycles - no opinion, no editorializing:
- Injury volume23,152 ER visits/yr
- Severity (hospitalization rate)14.1%
- Fatality rate0.25%
- 5-year trend+155%
See the full methodology for the exact weighting of each factor.
What the CPSC Data Shows
Mopeds Or Power-assisted Cycles (CPSC product code 3215, in the Sports Protective Equipment & Gear category) generate an estimated 23,152 emergency-room visits every year in the United States, adding up to roughly 439,889 ER-treated injuries across the 19-year span from 2005 to 2023. PlainSafety derives a danger score of 54/100 for this category (moderate risk), combining raw injury volume, demographic reach, severity of outcome, and multi-year trend. The five-year trajectory shows that injury counts are rising by about 155% over the last five years, with the busiest year on record being 2023 (87,567 estimated ER visits) and the quietest 2005 (8,515 estimated visits).
The single most common ER diagnosis for mopeds or power-assisted cycles is internal injury to the head, accounting for approximately 47,284 visits across the 20-year NEISS window, followed by contusions, abr. to the knee (19,270 cases). The 15-24 age group absorbs the largest share of injuries, about 114,277 cases over the NEISS window, and males appear slightly more often than the opposite sex in that cohort. Severity outcomes from the NEISS disposition field show that 14.1% of ER visits involving this product end in hospital admission or transfer, and a small fraction (0.25%) result in fatality.
Beyond the hospital-sampled NEISS projections, this page also aggregates 80 consumer incident reports filed directly on SaferProducts.gov, plus 20 anonymized ER narratives - together forming a layered picture of how mopeds or power-assisted cycles fail in real households. Every figure on this page comes from CPSC-published data: NEISS projects national estimates from a probability sample of about 100 U.S. hospital emergency departments, while SaferProducts.gov collects voluntary reports from consumers, manufacturers, and clinicians. The danger score, trend indicators, and demographic breakdowns update automatically when CPSC releases a new yearly NEISS file, which is why this page is dated 2023-12-31. For regulatory context, consult CPSC recall notices and the SaferProducts.gov public database linked below.
Annual Injury Estimates (2005–2023)
Source: CPSC NEISS national estimates CPSC NEISS national estimates Injuries represent ER-treated cases only
Who Gets Injured?
| Age Group | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-4 | 1,384 | 828 | |
| 5-14 | 18,508 | 8,496 | |
| 15-24 | 89,618 | 24,634 | |
| 25-34 | 75,907 | 20,615 | |
| 35-44 | 51,615 | 13,857 | |
| 45-54 | 46,754 | 14,062 | |
| 55-64 | 35,958 | 11,007 | |
| 65-74 | 14,599 | 5,672 | |
| 75+ | 4,839 | 1,434 |
Most Common Injuries
| Body Part | Diagnosis | Est. Injuries |
|---|---|---|
| Head | Internal Injury | |
| Knee | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Face | Laceration | |
| Shoulder | Fracture | |
| Upper Trunk | Fracture | |
| Lower Leg | Fracture | |
| Face | Fracture | |
| Wrist | Fracture | |
| Ankle | Fracture | |
| Knee | Other | |
| Face | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Lower Leg | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Upper Trunk | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Head | Concussion | |
| Lower Trunk | Other |
Severity Breakdown
ER Visit Narratives
Real anonymized emergency room reports from the CPSC NEISS database.
50YOM RIDING AN ELECTRIC BICYCLE, FELL OFF HITTING HEAD. DX: SUBDURAL HEMATOMA
36YOM WAS RIDING E BIKE AND HAD ACCIDENT LAST EVENING STRIKING LOWER BACK AND HIPDX SACRAL FX
9YOF RIDING AN ELECTRIC BICYCLE AND FELL OFF DX: FRACTURED RIGHT ELBOW
3YOF, RIDING AN ELECTRIC BIKE WITH 10YO WHEN THEY HIT A BUMP AND FELL OFF VS. RIDING HER BIKEW/O HELMET AND FELL OFF HITTING HEAD W/O LOC DX: CLOSED HEAD INJURY; CONCUSSION W/O LOC
33 YOF WITH LEFT KNEE PAIN FOLLOWING A FALL. PATIENT STATES SHE WAS USING HER ELECTRIC BIKE GOING APPROXIMATELY 20 MILES AN HOUR WHEN SHE HAD SOME DEBRIS AND FELL. LANDING ON HER LEFT SIDE. REPORTS WAS WEARING A HELMET. NO LOC. DX CONTUSION KNEE
55YOM C/O LT FOOT ANKLE PAIN 2 DAYS S/P ACCIDENT WHILE RIDING AN ELECTRIC BIKE STATES WAS STRUCK BY A CAR AND HIS FOOT BECAME STUCK ON PEDALS AND INVERTED DX: FOOT PAIN
31YOM S/P MOPED VS CAR ACCIDENT W/ HELMET W/ POSSIBLE LOC W/ LACERATIONS TO RT EYEBROW AND C/O PAIN TO RT LOWER EXTREMITY DX: TRAUMA
22YOM S/P MVC PT WAS UNHELMETED DRIVER OF A MOPED AND COLLIDED W/ A CAR DRIVING APPROX 25MPH STATES HIT HEAD AND RT SIDE OF BODY ON WINDSHIELD OF CAR DX: OPEN FX TIBIA
61YOM C/O LT SHOULDER PAIN PARESTHESIA S/P FALL PT STATES 2 WEEKS AGO WAS GOING DOWN HILL ON MOPED DURING RAIN WHEN HE SLID AND LANDED ON LT SIDE OF BODY DID NOT BOTHER HIM MUSCH AT THE TIME DX: NUMBNESS TINGLING LT UPPER EXTREMITY
45YOM C/O 1 DAY OF LT ANKLE PAIN PT REPORTS WAS ON HIS ELECTRIC BIKE AND HIT BY A CAR NOT GOING FAST HE REPORTS FALLING OFF BIKE ONTO HIS ANKLE DX: LT ANKLE PAIN
41YOM S/P MVA YESTERDAY PT WAS DRIVING A MOPED WHEN HE T-BONED A CAR THAT DIDN'T BRAKE AT THE LIGHT WAS UNHELMETED AND PT FLEW 10 FT LANDED ON BUTTOCK DX: CONTUSION
25YOF HERE AFTER PT WAS STRUCK BY A BUS AT UNKNOWN SPEED WHILE RIDING A MOPED AT ABOUT 20MPH AND FOUND DOWN PT DID REPORT LOC DX: SPLENIC LAC, FXS LT ORBIT MAXILLARY SINUS ZYGOMATIC ARCH, SMALL PNEUMOTHORAX
Consumer Incident Reports
Reports filed by consumers on SaferProducts.gov.
Rad Power Bikes has announced a defect in tires for the RadWagon 4. I had an unexplained blowout earlier this year and they sent me a replacement tire that is also defective.
I purchased 2 bicycles from Sondors E-bikes. Both bicycles are missing front and rear deflectors. The bikes are sold as recycled and they claim they only have minor scratches and have been thoroughly inspected. I have sent 3 emails over the past month and have not received a response. I called and missed the call and call back immediately and I am still waiting for a reply. Sondors is the original manufacturer and are required to sell all bikes with front and rear reflectors. If they are sell returned bikes as complete, then should the not have reflectors?
On July 9th, 2022, I purchased a very expensive Radwagon 4 from RADPowerBikes. The first week of September, I received an email stating that there was an issue with the rim strip in the wheels that could cause tire blowouts. I was told to stop riding the bike. On 9/8/22 I received a follow-up email from RAD indicating that after further investigation, they've discovered that certain tires are defective. They indicated that only the ribbed-bead tires were impacted, and that the smooth-beaded tires were not a safety concern. So I installed a smooth-beaded tire on my bike. Today I discovered that the SMOOTH-beaded tire also has a dangerous crack in it. RAD is not being forthcoming with their customers, and in fact have gone out of their way to inform owners of smooth-beaded tires that they are safe to ride, when in fact they are defective as well. Additionally, I was told today by a RAD store representative that due to the fact that I installed aftermarket brakes on my bike that are safer than the stock brakes, that my warranty is now void, and RAD will not offer a full refund of my bikes plus the components I purchased. Brakes have no impact on this tire safety issue. RAD is actively trying to get out of refunding these purchases by claiming that warranties are void due to aftermarket parts. Because of this issue, I have now spent over $100 on replacement tires, and countless hours of my time working to resolve this issue. RAD has asked us to cease using this product for 2-3 months while they work on producing new tires. They have been unable or unwilling to offer other aftermarket replacement solutions to their tires while they sort out their vendor's production issues. So now a bunch of Radwagon owners have $2,000+ lawn ornaments gathering dust in garages. Not to mention how are they going to properly test new tires produced in a matter of months? I have no confidence they will be able to ship and install safe new tires in a matter of 2-3 months.
The lithium battery in the product exploded without warning. The unit was NOT charging at the time and was not previously damaged. The product was purchased new in a sealed box 2 weeks ago. We have significant property damage. I have burns on my hands and feet. My wife had some minor smoke inhalation. Our cat's fur got singed. We only had the product for 2 weeks.
Caller stated that he does not believe that there was ever a safety review done on the electric bike. He stated that it is prone to blunt force trauma to forward occupants, impaling injuries and decapitation. Caller stated that he noticed the safety issue after he purchased the unit. Caller stated that the bicycle needs a safety cage. Caller stated that he will be returning the electric bicycle due the safety hazard it presents.
A tire on our RadWagon 4 from Rad Power Bikes exploded under no stress whatsoever. While no one was hurt, if we had been riding (the product is designed to carry 2 kids plus the rider), injuries would have been highly likely. Many tires for this model of bike were subject to a recall (those with ribbed sidewall see: Rad Power Bikes Recalls RadWagon 4 Electric Cargo Bikes Due to Fall and Crash Hazards (Recall Alert)). However, when I contacted Rad to let them know of this alarming failure, they said that my tires were not part of the recall. I'm concerned that these tires (smooth sidewall) are defective just like the others. I'm trying to keep kids safe.
Rad Power Bikes Rad Wagon 4 electric bicycle is marketed for the transport of children. With less than 70 miles on it the tires are failing with significant cracking on the sidewall on both front and rear tires. Rad is now saying that only some times are impacted (their description does not match my experience) and that only bikes delivered after June '22 are impacted (mine is from March '21 and is impacted). This bicycle is unsafe to ride and the company is doing everything possible to not take responsibility for their product.
While our Rad Wagon 4 was parked in our living room the back tire exploded. It scared both of my toddlers, my wife, and I. This was shortly after we used the bike in Central Park NYC going upwards of 22 MPH. When I called customer support they said I should have received an email. I did not receive an email. They only emailed purchases after June 1, 2022. We purchased on May of 2022. In the email they said not to ride the bike( I was able to find copies of it on [REDACTED]). This is dangerous and I suggest all Rad 4 wagon bike owners be notified. I am luckily no one got hurt.
Showing 8 of 80 reports.
Product Recalls
Search for active and past recalls related to mopeds or power-assisted cycles on the CPSC website.
Frequently Asked Questions
How dangerous are mopeds or power-assisted cycles?
Based on 20 years of CPSC data, mopeds or power-assisted cycles have a danger score of 54/100 (moderate risk). An estimated 23,152 ER-treated injuries occur annually in the U.S. related to this product category.
What are the most common injuries from mopeds or power-assisted cycles?
The most common injury is internal injury to the head, accounting for approximately 47,284 injuries over 20 years.
Are injuries from mopeds or power-assisted cycles increasing or decreasing?
Up 155% over 5 years.
Who is most at risk for mopeds or power-assisted cycles injuries?
The 15-24 age group accounts for the most injuries, with approximately 114,277 cases recorded over 20 years. Males are more frequently injured in this age group.
What happens when someone is injured by mopeds or power-assisted cycles?
Of all ER visits involving mopeds or power-assisted cycles, approximately 14.1% result in hospital admission. The majority of patients (85.9%) are treated and released from the emergency department.
How can I report a safety problem with mopeds or power-assisted cycles?
You can file a consumer incident report at SaferProducts.gov, the official CPSC reporting portal. Reports help the CPSC identify emerging hazards and trigger investigations or recalls. You can also call the CPSC hotline at 1-800-638-2772.
Related Products in Sports Protective Equipment & Gear
Safety Guides
What this means for you
Treat the 54/100 score as relative risk between products, not your personal odds of injury.
- See where this category ranks against every other tracked product. Full rankings
- Injuries cluster in the 15-24 age group, take extra care if that describes your household.
- Check for active recalls on this product before you assume it is safe. CPSC recalls
NEISS estimates ER-treated injuries from a national probability sample of hospitals; they do not capture injuries treated elsewhere or not treated at all.
Data: CPSC National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) 2005–2024 and SaferProducts.gov consumer incident reports. Injury estimates are based on a nationally representative probability sample of U.S. hospital emergency departments. This page is for informational purposes only and is not affiliated with the CPSC.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, scored, and verified.
