Road safety Experts urge caution with e-bikes Dessau-Rosslau In Dessau-Roßlau, there were four accidents involving e-bikes last year, in which one person was slightly injured. This number was named by Sebastian Opitz, spokesman for the police station. "So far, that's not a major problem in the city."
Last year almost 4,300 accidents involving pedelecs throughout Germany Quite the opposite to other cities and states. In the first nine months of 2017, there were nearly 4,300 accidents involving personal injury in Germany, involving the electric bicycles, often referred to as Pedelecs (Pedal Electric Cycle).
This was reported by the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) earlier this year to the news agency DPA. This is 28 percent more than last year. More and more e-bikes on the road The increase in the number of accidents is also related to the ever-increasing number of e-bikes on the roads. According to the Bicycle Club ADFC there are now about 3.5 million pedelecs in Germany. Alone in 2017, just under 700 000 were added, an increase of 25 percent. The accident researcher Siegfried Brockmann, however, also points to the increasing number of older road users who use e-bikes. Often older people involved in accidents with pedelecs "The share of older people in pedelec accidents is above average," explained Brockmann. In addition, the number of illegally "tuned pedelecs" that drive faster than the allowed 25 km / h, said Brockmann, who heads the accident research of the insurers (UDV), in the run-up to the traffic court in Goslar said. At the end of January, the Congress of Experts had repeatedly addressed pedelecs and ways to protect drivers. In 2017, 55 e-bike riders lost their lives nationwide by September According to the Federal Statistical Office, 55 pedelec drivers were killed between 2017 and September. The death toll for the entire year is therefore likely to be about twice as high as in 2014, the first year in which the Federal Office recorded pedelec accidents. At that time there were 39 deaths. "Many older people drive much faster through the support of the electric motor than their capabilities actually allow," Brockmann estimated. This often leads to loss of control and falls.
Older people are advised not to sit on the pedelec without preparation ADFC spokeswoman Stephanie Krone advises elders not to sit on a pedelec without preparation. "If you have not ridden best bike us a bicycle for many years, you should familiarize yourself with the drive and braking characteristics before the first exit." Brockmann advocates a technical solution: the support provided by the electric motor should be linked to the power, the drivers spend yourself.
"If you pedal slowly, you will not get much engine power or you will be slowed down in speed," said Brockmann. "This will mean that seniors will not go faster with the e-bike than a cyclist." Not to mention tuned e-bikes. At least that's a phenomenon that has not yet come to the police in Dessau-Roßlau.
Dessau bicycle dealers advise pedelec buyers extensively The bike dealers in Dessau-RoĂ&#x;lau have been offering e-bikes and pedelecs for quite some time. "Five to six years", estimates Klaus Dornfeld of the same bike country in the HeidestraĂ&#x;e 102. He has a slight grumble already in the stomach, when he introduces the streak of older people. Consulting is essential for Dornfeld. A helmet is part of the basic equipment. The first test drive on the company's farm recommends the bicycle fox to the customer: The biking is easier, the vehicle but six kilos heavier: "Who wants to drag 25 kilos in and out of the basement, must already be fit." (Mz / sib / dpa)