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California prosecutor targets parents in e-bike crash cases as injuries rise
Officials in New York City sent cease-and-desist notices to retailers after a 17-year-old died in a crash involving an illicit vehicle marketed as an e-bike.
Injuries and deaths involving children riding e-bikes and other electrified vehicles are rising, prompting stepped-up enforcement efforts in multiple US jurisdictions, including California where a prosecutor is pursuing criminal charges against some parents. Insurance Journal reports the actions are part of broader attempts to address a patchwork of local rules on what types of souped-up cycles and scooters are safe or even legal for kids to ride.
The report says New York City’s mayor sent cease-and-desist notices to dozens of online retailers selling products marketed as “e-bikes” that are not street legal after a 17-year-old died in a crash on an illicit vehicle. In New Jersey, new regulations require e-bike riders to be at least 15, with a license and vehicle registration.
Cycling advocates and some parents question whether the approach is hitting the real problem, arguing that rules may be too broad and could focus blame on low-powered e-bikes rather than faster motos. Monica Stafford, a San Rafael resident, said officials are missing the mark if they seek to lay blame solely on parents, adding that a unified national set of rules is needed amid what she described as a “Wild West” of local laws.
The article also points to clinical findings that injuries tend to be more severe than those from traditional pedal bicycles, especially for children. Dr. John Austin of the University of California San Diego School of Medicine, who led a recently published statewide study, said the most concerning trends include severity and the fact that injuries are especially pronounced among children, who tend to be younger and more often unhelmeted.