With e-bike problems mounting in local cities and across Orange County, District Attorney Todd Spitzer has announced the formation of a unit to bring accountability and potentially more prosecutions to mitigate problems associated with electric bikes and motorcycles.
Spitzer has announced the creation of a new E-Bike/E-Motorcycle unit, Ride SAFELY (Smart Accountability for E-Bikes and E-Motos and Law Enforcement for Youth), to review all potential criminal charges against juveniles and adults, including parents who knowingly allow their children to ride illegal E-Motorcycles.
“The death and devastation caused by e-Bikes and E-Motorcycles has reached epidemic levels, and we as elected officials must do everything we can to save lives,” said Spitzer in the statement.
“If parents refuse to hold their children accountable, then I am going to hold parents accountable when they knowingly break the law,” he said.
The California Highway Patrol recently informed the Rossmoor Community Services District that they would soon start issuing “admonishment” citations to parents where justified, although they did not specify the terms, conditions, or punishments just yet.
Since January, Spitzer’s office has filed a variety of charges against parents whose children have been involved in crashes that ended in death or harm. They have included charges for child endangerment, involuntary manslaughter and felony charges against a Yorba Linda father whose 12-year-old son was critically injured in an e-bike modified to go more than 60 miles an hour.
Spitzer said injuries have spiked 430% in just the last four years in Southern California. Children between the ages of 11 and 14 accounted for 61.7% of E-Motorcycle crashes even though children under the age of 16 are legally prohibited from riding E-Motorcycles, according to the California Statewide Integrated Traffic Record System (SWITRS).
Amazon announced it would no longer sell e-Bikes that exceed state speed limits in California following several deadly crashes involving motorized vehicles. The decision comes after a consumer alert issued by California Attorney General Rob Bonta last month, which said that, per California law, two-wheeled vehicles that can exceed 28 miles per hour with pedal assistance or 20 mph with throttle assistance, meaning no pedaling necessary, are legally mopeds or E-Motorcycles.
Generally, an electric bike that does not qualify as Class 1, 2 or 3, will be classified as an electric motorcycle. That means either that the bike has an electric motor that exceeds 750 watts of power or can reach speeds higher than 20-mph on motor power alone.
Additionally, if the bike is not equipped with fully operable pedals, or if it has been modified to reach speeds higher than 20-mph or to attain power higher than 750 watts, the bike cannot be designated an electric bike and instead would be considered an motorbike.
California law distinguishes between e-Bikes and E-Motorcycles based on three main features: the power limit of its motor, its maximum speed limit, and whether it is equipped with operable pedals. Electric bicycles with Class 1 or Class 2 designations do not have rider age or licensing restrictions; e-bikes with Class 3 designations require riders to be aged 16 or older.
Meanwhile, OC Supervisors appointed a new head of the Office of Independent Review with one supervisor calling the watchdog “toothless” and stating it hasn’t really produced any meaningful oversight reports on the Sheriff’s Department or other county operations.
While local officials study ordinances, county officials consider punishments for parents, several bills in the Assembly seek various limits and enforcement measures as well.
Despite the lag in regulation and enforcement, e-bikes are here to stay.
Conner Medina, representing the League of California Cities recently told the Cypress City Council that “there is an issue that has been raised by our membership up and down the state, including in Orange County, but also all over the place throughout the state of California, and the issue has been raised regarding e-bike safety.”
“Safety is the paramount issue that we have been focused on. The state is also looking at this from a legislative lens, and the perspective that the state has primarily adopted has been that they want this mobility option to be available; they point to a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions,” he said.
“E-bikes are here to say, ” he said. The question now is, “how do we ensure safety?”