As more and more people hit the streets on electric bicycles, it’s not really all too surprising that more and more accidents involving e-bikes have been making headlines. Naturally, electric bikes are faster, heavier, and as such, generally more dangerous than your regular non-electric bicycles. The rising number of accidents, specifically those in California, are beginning to raise concerns in the community, specifically when it comes to kids riding these machines.
We previously talked about law enforcement cracking down on illegal electric bicycles in California. This time around, the state seems to be eyeing a much stricter approach when it comes to the regulation of electric bicycles. By strict, I mean license-strict. That’s right, a new bill drafted by California State Assembly member Tasha Boerner, also known as Assembly Bill 530, has hopes of enacting a law requiring e-bike riders who don’t possess a car license to obtain a license to ride their machines.
California cops on horseback apprehend illegal e-bike riders.
For most of the e-bike riding population, this shouldn’t be too much of a problem, as nearly all Americans possess a driver’s license. However, for youngsters looking to legally ride an electric bicycle, they’re going to have to secure a license to do so, and only after the age of 12 years. Should this bill be enacted into law, California’s e-bike legislations would still very much be laxer than those in Europe. In the UK, for instance, the minimum age to ride an electric bicycle is 14 years.
Nevertheless, any form of regulation when it comes to electric bicycles is sure to ease the concerns of citizens in California who are directly affected by the growing number of e-bike related accidents. For instance, a recent accident resulted in the untimely death of 15-year-old Brodee Champlain-Kingman, after the e-bike he was riding crashed into a van in Encinitas, California. A lot of these e-bike accidents have been happening in beach cities like Newport Beach, where cops have been hitting the streets on horseback to apprehend illegal e-bike riders. Huntington Beach is also raising awareness and issuing citations to erring e-bike riders.
Should the bill be enacted into law, e-bike riders who don’t possess a valid driver’s license will need to take an online exam and have state-issued photo identification. Furthermore, kids under the age of 12 will outright be banned from riding e-bikes on public roads. Furthermore, the law would mandate the creation of a stakeholders working group consisting of the DMV, Highway Patrol, Transportation Agency, as well as various bike groups to set up an e-bike training and licensing program.
Sources: Electric Bike Report, Fox 5 San Diego
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