NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� As traumatic injuries and deaths surge among children involved in crashes on e-bikes and other electrified vehicles, one California prosecutor is cracking down by pursuing criminal charges against some of the young riders’ parents.
It is just one way officials across the country are trying to tackle the growing issue, while families navigate a patchwork of local laws and guidance on what kind of souped-up cycles and scooters are safe or even legal for their kids to ride.
New York City鈥檚 mayor recently sent cease-and-desist notices to dozens of online retailers for selling products marketed as 鈥渆-bikes鈥� that aren鈥檛 street legal after a 17-year-old died in a crash on an illicit vehicle. In neighboring New Jersey, new regulations require e-bike riders to be at least 15 and obtain a license and vehicle registration.
But do the measures hit the mark? Cycling advocates worry regulations might be too broad 鈥� demonizing low-powered e-bikes instead of speedier motos 鈥� while some parents question whether localized, piecemeal strategies are enough.
Monica Stafford, a San Francisco-area mother whose teen daughter falling off an e-bike, said officials are 鈥渕issing the mark鈥� if they鈥檙e seeking to lay the blame solely on parents. The San Rafael resident said a unified, national set of rules is needed.
鈥淲e鈥檙e in a total Wild West of laws,鈥� Stafford said. 鈥淏eing for common sense laws doesn鈥檛 mean that you鈥檙e against e-bikes, just like you can be for cars but not think that it鈥檚 safe to put keys in the hands of a 10-year-old.鈥�
E-bike injuries disproportionately impact children, experts say
The two-wheeled machines have become nearly ubiquitous in recent years, from packs of teens zipping around California beach towns to the army of delivery drivers dodging traffic on the congested streets of Manhattan.
Hospital visits for injuries from e-bike, e-scooter and other motorized rides have, as expected, soared as they have grown in popularity, after has shown. But researchers stress that the more concerning trends are the severity of the injuries and the fact that they鈥檙e especially pronounced among children.
鈥淭he big takeaway is that people are generally more severely injured than they would be if they were on a traditional, pedal bicycle,鈥� said Dr. John Austin, a doctor at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine who led a recently published . 鈥淥verall, these patients tend to be younger, they tend to be unhelmeted and, in turn, be more severely injured.鈥�
Recent youth deaths prompt officials to take action
Most e-bikes are classified as nonmotorized vehicles akin to traditional bicycles under federal law, meaning riders don鈥檛 need a license, insurance or to even wear a helmet. Most states, though, have enacted additional requirements for higher powered machines, including minimum age and helmet requirements.
In New York City, the death of 17-year-old just steps from City Hall has spurred renewed debate about the bikes. Gabriel Nacato had been riding a vehicle advertised as an 鈥渆-bike鈥� but wasn’t legal on city streets.
Earlier this month, Mayor Zohran Mamdani warned more than 40 online retailers, including Amazon, Walmart and Target, that they could face fines of up to $2,000 for each sale of an e-bike that exceeds city regulations.
New York state requires riders of all forms of e-bikes to be at least 16, and New York City imposes additional restrictions, including a 15 mph (24 kph) speed limit. California, in contrast, has for lower-powered bikes, though riders must be at least 16 to use e-bikes that can go up to 28 mph (45 kph).
and are among the states that have enacted statewide regulations recently, and Massachusetts is weighing measures. Meanwhile, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in June a 10 mph (16 kph) speed limit and other e-bike regulations, saying the measures would lead to 鈥渆nhanced surveillance鈥� of citizens.
Other jurisdictions seek to hold parents accountable
In Southern California, Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer says his office has open investigations against parents after launching a new unit focused on e-bike and e-motorcycles cases involving children.
The office has already brought charges against four, including accused of killing an elderly pedestrian while riding an e-motorcycle.
That mother鈥檚 attorney declined to comment, but Mitchell Krems, the lawyer for another parent, dismissed the charges against his client as 鈥渁bsurd,鈥� suggesting his client was being made a 鈥渟capegoat.鈥�
Richard Eyssallenne pleaded not guilty to after prosecutors say he bought his 12-year-old son an e-motorcycle and helped him illegally modify it to make it go faster. The boy ran through a red light and was injured by a car.
Other jurisdictions have also taken steps to hold parents liable. In Ohio, a Columbus suburb recently issued making it clear that parents who knowingly allow their children to break the rules are subject to the same penalties as the rider.
Cycling advocates blame electronic motorcycles
PeopleForBikes, a national bicycle advocacy group that , stressed that many of the problematic vehicles are actually electronic motorcycles with heavy frames, sturdy tires and sizable motors that are falsely marketed as e-bikes.
Lower-powered and pedal-assisted e-bikes have been used safely for decades on U.S. streets and are key to reducing society’s reliance on cars, advocates argue.
鈥淢any of the dangerous behaviors people cite 鈥� running red lights, riding on sidewalks, not wearing helmets 鈥� are already illegal,鈥� added Chlo茅 Lauer, executive director of the San Diego County Bike Coalition. 鈥淲e鈥檇 rather see those laws enforced than add new restrictions that limit mobility for kids who are riding responsibly.鈥�
Anya Dalal, a San Francisco-area high school senior who has been advocating for better safety measures, believes the problem requires multiple solutions, including setting age limits.
鈥淚t should be a mix of parental accountability, accountability from the manufacturers and retailers and also education for kids to understand e-bike laws and road rules,鈥� said the 17-year-old Hillsborough resident.
Sharon Franke, a San Diego-area mother, agreed, though she said the first step starts at home, with parents doing their research, accompanying their children on rides and reinforcing safety once they set off on their own.
鈥淲e want them to have fun, but we also want them to come back safe and we don鈥檛 want them to hurt anybody,鈥� she said as her 15- and 12-year-old sons prepared to attend a safety training last weekend. 鈥淗ow do you balance all of it? It鈥檚 just overwhelming right now.鈥�
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Associated Press reporters Amy Taxin and Christopher Weber in California and Anthony Izaguirre in New York contributed to this story.
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