Editorial | As e-bike crashes increase, so must safety education

E-bike safety issues, especially for young riders, and the ongoing efforts to educate parents and involve schools in keeping riders from harming themselves or others, have made recent headlines in California and locally.

Here's why. The global market for e-bikes and e-scooters reached more than $30 billion in 2025 and is projected to grow sharply in the coming years. In the United States, e-bikes are now the fastest-growing segment of the bike market.

But disturbing reports are also growing: A 13-year-old boy died last month in an e-bike crash in East San Jose. Weeks earlier, a 4-year-old Burlingame boy was killed and a 6-year-old girl injured in a chain-reaction crash sparked by an e-bike. In Half Moon Bay, a 16-year-old boy died after crashing an electric motorcycle into a truck.

Last week, in this county, a man riding an electric scooter died after a crash. And elsewhere, an 81-year-old California veteran died weeks after being allegedly struck by 14-year-old on an e-motorcycle. The state's integrated traffic system showed an 18-fold increase in e-bike-related injuries from 2018 to 2023.

State lawmakers say the recent deaths have underscored the need for clearer rules and stronger enforcement tools.

Two e-bike related bills are currently under consideration in the state Legislature. One, AB 1942, would require certain classes of e-bikes to be registered with the state and display license plates, allowing police to track violations and repeat offenders more easily. Another, AB 1557, would slow e-bikes that children are allowed to operate.

E-bikes, however, are not inherently unsafe or unwelcome. Most kids are riding responsibly and the bikes offer young riders a means to get to school and activities without depending on parents to fight through our horrible traffic. They also offer older riders the opportunity to continue riding bikes.

But the deaths and injuries have left law enforcement struggling to keep up with the technology as some e-bikes are modified to reach speeds far beyond what state law allows thus blurring the line between bicycles and motorcycles. Reports to this publication include complaints about riders ignoring traffic signals, racing at high speeds and weaving through sidewalks and open-space trails.

Prosecutors in some cases are beginning to look beyond the riders themselves. In Contra Costa County, authorities charged a Benicia mother and father with misdemeanor child abuse after their teenage son crashed an e-moto capable of exceeding 30 mph. Orange County prosecutors filed felony child endangerment charges against a mother after authorities said her 14-year-old son, riding a modified bike capable of reaching 60 mph, struck a pedestrian. Prosecutors have said part of the motivation in filing charges is to put parents on notice that they are responsible for ensuring their kids are riding safely and within the law.

In a meeting Thursday with the Sentinel Editorial Board, Israel Murillo, the public information officer with the Santa Cruz County division of the California Highway Patrol, said he had just completed six e-bike safety and information presentations at a local middle school with more planned at other schools.

The CHP presentation includes a discussion of the three types of e-bikes, and the laws regarding helmets and passengers.

Under California law, e-bikes are divided into three classes based on speed and how the motor assists riders. Only the fastest category - which can assist up to 28 mph - requires riders to be at least 16. Class 1 pertains to e-bikes that provide a pedal assist up to 20 mph, Class 2 bikes give a pedal boost or throttle up to 20 mph and Class 3 provide a pedal assist up to 28 mph.

Existing regulations require riders 18 and younger to wear safety helmets while Class 3 e-bikes can only be ridden by those 16 years and older, and can't carry passengers.

Beyond that, the rules are minimal. Riders do not need a license, registration, insurance or formal training.

The good news for Santa Cruz County is that while e-bike accidents had been proliferating locally (53 recorded crashes in 2024), the CHP's "Operation Safe Pedal" program that includes school presentations, social media messages and increased enforcement, may be paying off, as crashes have decreased significantly the past two years.

We favor the CHP approach (which is just for the unincorporated part of the county; city police departments need to make their own programs). Instead of state laws that may or may not be observed, we've advocated for just such a system where young riders, and parents, can learn basic safety and road-sharing rules.

And, of course, we need much safer bike lanes that are clearly marked and enforced (the bollard system setting off Soquel Drive bike lanes has received mixed reviews by cyclists).

Bottom line is that e-bikes have many benefits - not the least replacing car trips and reducing pollution, and allowing older residents to keep riding.

As we wrote in a previous editorial: E-bikes are here to stay - and we hope the same for riders.

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