Kleinpeter Boutwell

The most underreported e-bike story isn't the crashes. It's the battery fires caused by exploding lithium-ion batteries. They happen in apartments, storage rooms, and garages, where the bikes are charging overnight. These fires burn at extremely high temperatures and are very difficult to extinguish once they start.

As e-bikes proliferate, so do deadly fires blamed on exploding lithium-ion batteries Federal officials are considering a crackdown on defective lithium-ion batteries that power hoverboards, scooters and motorized bicycles because of a rash of deadly fires caused by exploding batteries.

The rest of the country cut pedestrian deaths by 11% last year. Louisiana barely moved — dropping just 2.5% while posting one of the highest fatality rates in the nation.

Pedestrian Deaths in Louisiana Barely Budged in 2025. Here’s What the Data Shows - Kleinpeter Boutwell Pedestrian deaths across the U.S. dropped 11% in early 2025, but Louisiana barely moved. Here's what the data shows and what the state is doing about it.