Is it an E-bike if it is capable of doing highway speeds?
This report is from a few years back, but it was referenced in the video below. Pat at StacheD is a firefighter, and he has been at the scene of at least 1 E-bike crash, and knows of several, including fatal accidents, in 2026, just in the Southeast Michigan region. From the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission: E-Scooter and E-Bike Injuries Soar: 2022 Injuries Increased Nearly 21%
This is the StacheD Training video Kids Are Dying on E-Bikes! But Are They E-Bikes?
None of this is about banning fun. It's about educating people on the rules. Rules designed to keep kids from being killed. Because right now, kids are riding vehicles capable of highway speeds with zero training, zero insurance, and zero legal accountability. They're transitioning from sidewalks to the road, tearing across intersections, and if something goes wrong, it's a life-changing event for that kid.
One of the points he makes is that a standard bicycle helmet is not a substitute for a motorcycle helmet at 50 MPH.
The video is about six and a half minutes.
For some reason that I'll call "mental laziness" I've been believing that since we have laws that say to drive a motorcycle kids need to have at least a restricted driver's license, those high power e-bikes must not be what kids are riding. I quickly think of those times I was riding in the street on my road bike and could go faster than kids on an e-bike.
ReplyDeleteThen I've noticed some e-bikes that I couldn't keep up with, and I've seen some on sidewalks around here that must be going 35. I wonder if they're in an accident if the police enforce that driver's license requirement.
The whole society seems to be losing respect for the rule of law.
DeleteThe standard E-bikes (I've been looking at a couple) will go 28 MPH out of the box. A bit fast to be on sidewalks.
DeleteAnd the esk8 and E-bike crowd seems to be especially ignorant of traffic laws. See this video
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