As e-bikes grow in popularity, some are expressing concerns about their safety. This summer, a city in California issued an emergency declaration after two teens on e-bikes were involved in separate accidents. NBC News’ Steven Romo reports.
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#EBikes #California #News
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Stay safe, and never drink and drive!
i feel for the mom who lost her son, but people get hit on non ebikes all the time were they gonna do ban non e bikes??
I'm taking a guess thinking that the majority of reported accidents with e-bikes, involve an automobile or a pedestrian.
IMHO if that happens to be correct, I think it's probably more about both auto drivers and e-bike riders lack of precautions and responsible driving/riding than simply "e-bike safety concerns".
I'd be surprised to learn that there are numerous accidents that involved a malfunction or component failure of a bike that resulted in a riders injury.
I've personally felt I have noticed in the last handful of years, an alarming increase of what I can only describe as careless/reckless auto drivers as well as other mobility equipment riders.
Many seem to disregard paying attention to their surrounding environment, courtesy to others, and practicing responsible caution and safety.
In my experience, that tends to lead into bad results that could have easily been avoided.
Ebikes aren't the deadly weapons on the road, cars are.
On rail to trails there are no motorized vehicles allowed, but 30 mph electric bikes zoom by me on my pedal powered bike endangering cyclists and pedestrians.
A motorcycle/dirt bike is illegal on a paved pedestrian multi-use path. Ebikes have a motor. Gotta change some laws.
George ,George,George of the Jungle
Evolution
please explain Darwinism
survival of the fittest
We've seen this with rollerblades and break dancing.
As the Rolling Stones said – It's the singer, not the song . What difference would there be if they were on gas powered motorcycles?
Now e-bikes and e-scooters are all over bicycle trails that formerly had "no motor" policies. (Not bike "lanes" alongside the streets, dedicated bike trails in East Bay). Going way too fast, not signaling they are behind you, not yielding to bikes, horses, pedestrians and joggers. Just a matter of time before people start getting seriously hurt.
E-bikes are DANGEROUS! blah blah blah…
Meanwhile over 40K people killed and 100's of thousands injured in the US every year in automobiles and most don't even bat an eye. It's time to end the windshield bias.
Son dies but still has time and energy to poorly dye her hair fake blonde
There is a reason Paris just banned e-scooters from their streets. If people don't ride responsibly (obey traffic laws) with courtesy and care toward others, a ban is bound to happen.
I think we can all agree that the root of the problem is our 100% car centric infrastructure. Many other developed countries face the same problem at the beginning but definitely not as severe as here in the U.S. And they can quickly address the problems by implementing the proper regulations and infrastructure. However, here we simply can't because if a politician supports anything other than cars they will lose their job because they lose fundings from big corp although their people want changes.
I have an e-bike … and was hit by a f*cking car. Get the gas guzzlers off the road or, at least, tax them according to the danger and cost they pose for a civil society.
Infrastructure created for e-bikes because vehicles do not give right away to cyclists
The issue is not e bikes
The issue is cars and bikes. And drivers not knowing how to share the road.
The issue is people who rides bikes who do not have common decency to signal they are coming behind or where they are going.
Its easier and safer if people are taught properly
Of course, safety is a clear concern… but not NEARLY as big of a concern as the massive amounts of garbage that is being created by these E-bikes… millions and millions of which are going to end up in our landfills VERY quickly. Now… if the government was SMART… and required ALL e-bikes sold in America to have INTERCHANGABLE PARTS… particularly batteries and chargers and motors and wheels… that would certainly help to reduce this massive garbage pile of E-bikes that is coming down the pike… because at least SOME of the components would be recycled and reused. But that's never gonna happen–because people are stupid.
I would not let an 11 year old ride an e-bike.
It would help if kids on ebikes weren't doing stunts and going as fast as the bike goes but kids will be kids.
what about those e scooters? i assume those are more dangerous for the riders since it has smaller wheels and any bump can knock a rider off
They are not bikes, they’re electric mopeds and some are approaching electric motorcycles.
They need to regulated as a motor vehicle not a bicycle.
Even 20mph is too fast for a kid unless an experienced cyclist.
Everybody wants electric which is quiet and nobody can hear and that's why a lot of these accidents happen not only that too many people would pay attention to their phones while they drive believe me I know I just got hit by a car while I was riding my e-bike without even using the electric part of it
Cant stand ebikes. The people who bought them typically fall into 1 catagory where I live. Semi-commerical use. ie delivery. And they act like a bunch of irresponsible nuts. They are expensive. The owners don't know anything about them, how to maintain them, or fix them. The pure beauty of a simple bike was that it was simple. It didn't take a lot to make and maintain a beater. It increased your range and freedom significantly. The mechanics was simple.
This is some garbage reporting if I’ve ever seen it! “Involved in a collision with a van” I think you mean someone driving a van mowed down a kid riding his bike, but it’s the eBike that is unsafe here huh? It couldn’t possibly have anything to do with aggressive/distracted drivers and bad infrastructure right?
In Germany, we have two classes of E-bikes or Pedelecs: By far the most are technically restricted to 25 km/h = 16 mph and a max. performance of 250 Watts. They are treated as bicycles. You don’t need a driver’s license or insurance, don’t have to wear a helmet (although it is recommended) and may/ must use a bike path.
The other sort are “Speed Ebikes” with max. permitted speed of 45 km/h = 28 mph. Here you need a driver’s license for small motor cycles, obtainable from age 16, a third party insurance, have to wear a helmet, and are not allowed to use a bike path.
Using a tuned up 25 km/h Ebike is treated as a criminal offense. Accidents are getting more frequent according to the rapidly mounting number of Ebikes. Elderly people who aren’t used to biking at all or to the higher speed are at a higher risk.
This is 100% "the powers that be" trying to license and regulate ebikes for profit. Even though these things can happen on a regular bike, now ebikes are so dangerous that the media sensationalizes it. Like having the "doctor" talk about the injuries hes seeing and him putting it on ebikes and their safety. This is the push for license and insurance. Aka money grab
One step closer to that floaty chair.
It’s not always the product people are idiots & think they can do whatever they want. of course accidents do happen but people don’t always know what really happened to cause the accident. and if you’re riding in the street instead of the sidewalk – if there isn’t a safe designated bike lane- then you deserve to get hurt
The safety of the bikes is not the issue, rider stupidity is.
Ehh, more people are injured and killed just walking around. Death has been chasing us all since the cradle, live a little before u die
Why are ebikes different than other bikes or vehicles?
I think that's a vital part of the discussion that was left out of your article.
All I heard was bad parenting choices. Like giving your kid a motorized vehicle and sending them into traffic with it.
Junk and for lazy people.
Or we can drive better…
Get a motorcycle
Riding my ebike smoking my ecig. Good lord talk about someone asking to be taken out.
Man these kids must have great jobs with stellar pay to afford one of these E-bike’s.
The infrastructure isn’t built for e bikes. The fact that e bikes can go nearly 30 Mph isn’t the issue. My road bike I’ve reached speeds easily over 40 mph! Protected bike lanes are better for pedestrians AND riders. In my suburban area I see tons of e-bikes on the sidewalk because there is no safe space for an e-bike on the road.
It doesnt depend on any kind of rhetoric. Get over yourselves and leave others alone. If something happens it was the universe willing so just get over it, its a bike not a menace to society. If being alive is so scary for you maybe you should put on a safety suit and hold somebodys hand and if we are doing this then we should go all the way, people need license and insurance even if it is just a regular biycle it still needs to be registered insured and a motorcycle license to ride it. Applies to all e bikes and biycles as well as scooters.
Hilarious! Laws for ebikes because of a few accidents. But nothing's done about guns, which are the primary cause of death of American kids and young adults.
Not the ebikes or bicycles are the problem, but bad infrastructure and traffic concepts from a past century and the inability and unwillingness of American drivers to take road safety even remotely serious. I've never in my life encountered worse drivers than in the states. And nowhere did I see more entitled people who think the roads were made for them alone and everybody else was an enemy. Laws and regulations won't help an iot as long as that attitude doesn't change…
Wait until they start catching homes on fire all over the place.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vumsFOfi5EY&ab_channel=OnlyHuman
This is a bicycle story not just E-bike story. In 2020 there were 891 Fatalities on "Bycycles" in the US (Wikipedia). Most of the US is not Bycycle friendly 😢
We need to take a message from the Netherlands on how to have safe
transportation areas for all… but that means infrastructure spending…..
We are already a century behind Europe when it comes to efficient public
transportation…. America has a long road ahead to catch up!
I am glad the "concerns grow". After all what
use is a concern if it does not grow.
Cars and bikes don't mix simple