Young e-bike riders need education and training, experts say

“The real challenge is teaching them how to act safely and instinctively in a dynamic traffic environment,” she said. “I think everybody knows an e-bike goes faster. The faster you go, if something happens, the worse the impact will be.”

Knowing the bike is heavier and more difficult to maneuver than a regular bicycle and training with it before — preferably in-person, though online training is also available — can help keep young e-bike riders safe, E-Bike Sense advisor Stephen McCall said.

The accident rate for e-bike riders ages 10 to 15 is five times higher than other age groups, and children have a higher chance of traumatic brain injury and death from those accidents, Lamb said.

Parents shouldn’t assume that just because a child can comfortably ride a regular bicycle, they’re ready for an e-bike, San Mateo County Office Of Education safe routes to school coordinator Theresa Vallez-Kelly said.

“E-bikes are heavier than a standard bike, and they need to make sure the child is ready for it. It’s really important the child is trained,” she said.

Another integral way to keep kids safe is ensure their helmet is properly fitted, which can be checked at a local bike store. Lamb, who offers private e-bike training in addition to putting on public classes, said one of her students got into a serious crash that was only mitigated by wearing a helmet.

“The fire chief indeed said the helmet did save his life,” she said.

Parents should be aware of their child’s comfortability on the road and their awareness of safe cycling practices — like being a predictable rider, defensive riding, not double-riding unless it’s on a legal two-seat bike and abstaining from tricks and wheelies — before selecting what type of e-bike to buy.

Both Class 1 and Class 2 e-bikes go up to 20 miles per hour and have no age limit and the same access to roadways as a regular bike, however, Class 1 e-bikes are pedal-assist only and Class 2 bikes are pedal and throttle assist.

Class 3 e-bikes can go up to 28 miles per hour but are only legal for riders 16 or over and are restricted on roadways in many cases.

In the majority of cases, parents will be deciding between Class 1 and Class 2 e-bikes for their children, and should make themselves aware of how easy some Class 2 bikes are to tamper with, McCall said. In some instances, bikes can be physically or electronically tampered to exceed speeds of 20 miles per hour.

But parents do have tools to make e-biking riding a safe experience for their children, including electronically limiting the speed the bike can go, tracking children’s speeds through online apps and creating rider contracts with their children that outline geographical boundaries or no-go streets for riding.

Given the increasing popularity of e-bikes among youth, cities and municipalities are struggling with the best ways to regulate it, Vallez-Kelly said. In Marin County, for example, Class 2 e-bikes are now restricted for riders 16 and older in a first-in-the-state pilot program.

“The tech is outpacing the policy,” she said. “I don’t think anybody was ready for the surge of e-bike usage among youth, especially really young youth.”