Should kids ride electric bikes?

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Biking is a great way to get to and from school and other activities. It is good exercise, and it's fun when children are ready. Now, electric bikes (e-bikes) of all sizes and speeds are growing more popular.

We see more kids riding e-bikes on sidewalks, paths and in the street. But how do you know if your child is ready to ride an e-bike?

Read on to learn more about how old your child needs to be to ride an e-bike and tips to keep in mind when choosing one.

What is an e bike?

E-bikes look like regular bikes. However, they include an electric motor and a rechargeable battery. Electric bikes are also faster, heavier and have two or three wheels and pedals.

Types of e bikes

• Class 1: the bike motor only works when the rider is pedaling and it can reach speeds up to 20 mph

• Class 2: includes a throttle that allows the rider to use the bike motor without pedaling or with pedaling. It can reach speeds up to 20 mph

• Class 3: may or may not have a throttle but can reach speeds up to 28 mph or more

Removing or unlocking the speed limiter on an e-bike is not recommended. It can be dangerous and cause damage to the bike.

Should your child ride an e-bike?

Just as they learn to walk and bike safely, they need to know how to safely operate an e -bike before they pedal off on their own. E-bikes require different skills and extra training. And many states and even some communities have regulations on who can or cannot ride e-bikes.

The first step is to find out whether there are laws or rules about how old a person must be to operate e-bikes. Check the vehicle code in your state and regulations in your community. Confirm whether the rules apply to all classes of e-bikes. Some areas also have stricter laws for the faster (class 3) e-bikes.

Keep in mind: The Consumer Product Safety Commission recommends that children age 9 through 12 years should not operate any product that travels faster than 10 mph.

What about my teenager?

E-bikes may be motorized, but they are not considered motor vehicles at this time.

Even so, if your teen is 16 years of age or older and has a learning permit or driver's license, they can still benefit from instruction to help them ride an e-bike safely. Check with your city and school district to see if there are training courses. Some school districts require training for the e-biker to have a school parking permit.

Other e-bike safety risks

If your child is old enough to safely operate an e-bike, keep in mind:.

There is a higher risk of severe injury and death for riders of e-bikes than for regular bike users.

E-bikes were reported as the reason for about 53,000 emergency department visits and caused 104 deaths from -. In alone, e bikes were linked to 24,400 emergency department visits.

Motor vehicle crashes and bike control issues were the top hazards associated with e-bike fatalities.

E-bike batteries can cause fires. The e-bike battery powers the motor but it must be charged often. Parents should keep in mind that a rechargeable e-bike battery presents a higher risk of fire and explosion. Always be present when charging the e-bike battery. Never charge any battery while you are sleeping, and only use the charger that is recommended. (Find more battery safety tips here.)

Electric bikes need extra care. Routine maintenance of an e-bike is not the same as for a regular bike. Make sure you and your child know what is required to keep the e-bike operating properly. This includes reading the user manual, learning about warnings and instructions and performing recommended safety checks.

Follow the rules of the road on an e bike

Remember, all bikers of all ages whether using an e-bike or not should follow the basic rules of the road:

• Ride on the right, in the same direction as traffic using bike lanes when available.

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• Stop and look both ways before entering the street.

• Stop at all intersections, whether marked or unmarked.

• Respect traffic lights and stop signs.

• Wear a bicycle helmet that fits properly and is approved by the Consumer Product Safety Commission. (Find details about which helmet to choose for which activity here.)

• Pay attention to your surroundings. Do not talk on the cell , text or wear ear buds or headphones while riding.

• Discourage kids from taking passengers on the back of the e-bike.

• Do not operate the e bike if you are drinking or using substances or taking medications that can interfere with your ability to be a safe biker.

• Alert others such as pedestrians that you are approaching. They may not hear you.

• Follow safety rules when towing bicycle trailers.

Remember

Children must first understand how to be safe pedestrians and then learn to be safe bicycle riders. Proper safety education and training are important to ride a regular bike. But riding a regular bike does not ensure that they are safe to operate an e-bike. E-bike riding requires even more training and skills. The rider should be mature enough to make safe choices.

More information

On Memorial Day weekend, my family pulled into a busy campground for a long weekend of outdoor fun. Like many campgrounds in Oregon, this one was in an idyllic spot between a bunch of exciting outdoor activities like rock climbing, floating on the river, mountain biking, hiking, and running on scenic trails.

At 6 and 8, my kids are still pretty small. I took all the usual precautions&#;lifted a rock and showed them a scorpion; told them to keep their shoes on because of goatheads, also called puncturevine, an invasive prickly plant that can stab itself into your foot and really ruin your day. I put on their hats and smeared sunscreen on their tiny faces. But as they stood by the car, a few slightly older kids&#;maybe around 8 or 10&#;whizzed by on what looked like folding Lectric XP bikes.

They looked like they were having a lot of fun. They were wearing big downhill mountain biking helmets and were zooming at impossible speeds around and around the campground, dodging cars and people with abandon. My kids stared at them wistfully but said nothing. Although we have several ebikes in our garage at any given time, they&#;re not allowed to ride them until they&#;re at least 16. If you&#;re a parent, I strongly suggest you give your kids the same rule.

A Heavy Load

The death of 12-year-old Molly Steinsapir rocked the (admittedly somewhat insular) electric bike world. In , Steinsapir was riding on the back of a Rad Power Bike piloted by her friend, 11-year-old Eme Green. As the pair came down an incline, Green could not stop. The girls crashed at high speed. Steinsapir, who was wearing her helmet, hit her head hard, lost consciousness, and never woke up.

As a parent, those words are hard to write. Steinsapir&#;s parents sued Rad Power Bikes, claiming that the bike manufacturer was to blame. The electric bike industry has boomed incredibly fast, and reasonable safety regulations have not kept pace. For example, it took dozens of dangerous ebike fires for New York City to push for standard UL certification.

However, as with any new technology, it&#;s important that parents understand what the new technology is and make their own decisions about what their children are allowed to do. I want to emphasize here that I do not blame Steinsapir&#;s parents. I can&#;t imagine the pain of losing your child. Also, you can't know what you don&#;t know until it&#;s shoved in your face. Plenty of parents, including me, have made worse mistakes than letting their child ride an electric bike and have not had to face such terrible consequences. 

In their complaint, the Steinsapirs explicitly said they did not know that children riding an electric bike was dangerous. So I'm telling you now, as someone who has ridden dozens of electric bikes over the years, including the RadRunner, which is the bike that Green and Steinsapir were riding when they died: Do not put young children on an electric bike. 

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