For the parent who has run an impromptu taxi service for a dozen years or more, the prospect of increasing independence for a kid and less driving for mom or dad can offer more freedom and ease than a staycation. But turning a tween or teen loose on a neighborhood isn’t as easy as it sounds. Like everything, kids need to be taught the dos and don’ts. As fellow parents here at Best Electric Bikes, we know, there is a lot you’ll need to teach your kids about e-bikes.
A parent’s knowledge of local roads can be critical in outlining where it’s safe for their child to ride. Parents also have a duty to teach their kids the importance of wearing a helmet, what rules they need to follow, how speed affects falls and reaction time, what sort of off-road riding is permitted on their e-bike, caring for their e-bike and, finally, basic etiquette.
Let’s have a look at what to teach kids about e-bikes.
Wear a helmet
Most states require anyone under the age of 18 to wear a helmet when riding an e-bike. Regardless of someone’s attitude on whether the law should require helmets, wearing one is a good idea.
Compared to the helmets available when those laws were first passed, today’s helmets are lighter, more comfortable, fit better and—notably—offer much more protection in falls.
Curious about how much helmets help in the real world? One study collected data on cycling accidents and found that states with helmet laws had a 20 percent lower incidence rate of fatalities. Helmets save lives.
A study of accidents resulting in head injuries for both cyclists and e-bikers showed that riders of e-bikes were 50 percent more likely to suffer a traumatic brain injury (TBI) and their TBI was more likely to fall in the moderate to severe category as opposed to the mild category, like the injuries suffered by people riding non-motorized bicycles.
The increase in injury rate and severity was shown to be caused by the higher speeds ridden by those on e-bikes.
The rise of e-bikes with long bench seats, like those on motorcycles, has resulted in more kids riding with other kids on the back. The case of two young girls who crashed going downhill on an e-bike in Southern California should serve as a warning to any parent: If a kid is taking friends for rides on their e-bike, the passenger needs to wear a helmet as well.
E-Bike laws from state to state
What the law says and what people are doing with e-bikes can be, like many laws, two different things. We’re not here to pass judgment on that, but we are aware that adherence to e-bike laws is mild. Confusing matters is the reality that e-bike laws vary from state to state. Broadly speaking, there is a fair amount of agreement between states—nearly every state imposes restrictions on how young someone can legally ride a Class 3 e-bike.
For parents who want to know what their state’s laws surrounding e-bikes say, there is a comprehensive spreadsheet at the website for People for Bikes. It details age and helmet requirements, sidewalk restrictions and trail access among other data.
Most states don’t permit minors under the age of 16 to ride Class 3 e-bikes, but there are exceptions. In Virginia, the age is 15. In Louisiana, it is 12. Arizona, Florida and several other states impose no restrictions at all.
Some e-bikes tout the fact that their motors are unrestricted. That doesn’t mean the e-bike laws don’t apply to them. The reality is that the e-bike doesn’t comply with the three-class system, which carries two important facts: The e-bike may be expressly illegal in some cities, and it may allow the rider to go faster than 28 mph.
Kids need to know what the laws are in their community.
Rules of the road
It would be understandable to assume that common sense rules apply to riding an e-bike, and that’s true to a certain extent. Let’s look at sidewalks first, because that’s where many kids learn to ride a bike.
In about half the states, e-bikes are not restricted from sidewalks, but in the other half of states, their use is restricted and those restrictions can range from not being permitted at all to only kids 12 and under being permitted to ride on sidewalks.
Because sidewalks are directionless, a kid who hasn’t earned a driver’s license or learner’s permit may not understand that on a street with bike lanes they need to ride in the same direction as the traffic nearest the bike lane.
Similarly, a rider who hasn’t learned to drive will need to be taught what to do at stop signs and traffic signals. And while kids who are accustomed to riding on the sidewalk may know to use crosswalks to cross a street, riders who are in the street will need to be shown how to watch for cars behind them before they move over to make a left turn.
Class 3 e-bikes, because they can move at the pace of some traffic, can make cars seem less intimidating; that reduction in the rider’s sense of risk actually increases the rider’s risk. And, generally, due to the speeds they can reach, Class 3 aren’t allowed on sidewalks.
Things happen really quickly at 28 mph
Any parent who has ever watched their child get into a situation where they could anticipate the outcome before their child could—like pouring the milk before it’s over the bowl of cereal—will be able to appreciate how at 28 mph, events happen twice as fast as they do at 14 mph, which is roughly the difference between how fast a kid might ride a geared bike and how fast they can go on a Class 3 e-bike. What unfolds over two seconds at 14 mph takes only a single second at 28 mph.
Another concern for parents is impact energy in the event of a crash. Impact energy increases at an exponential rate. The impact force at 28 mph isn’t double that of an impact at 14 mph, it is four times as great.
Here’s a way to consider the risk: In a study of pedestrian injuries when hit by a car, 99.5 percent of pedestrians survived being struck by a car going less than 10 mph. Between speeds of 10 and 19.9 mph, 97.7 percent of pedestrians survived. At speeds between 20 and 29.9 mph, however, the survival rate dropped to 84.5 percent. Survival dropped to 64.6 percent at speeds between 30 and 39.9 mph. If that last figure seems far-fetched for an e-bike, consider that a head-on collision between a rider going 15 mph and a car going 20 mph falls into this category.
Off-road use
Riding an e-bike off-road carries a host of thorny issues. Parents are likely to find the idea appealing because their kid won’t be in traffic with cars. However, several access issues make riding an e-bike off-road not the instant solution we might hope it to be.
The first issue is that many parks don’t allow e-bikes at all. In Northern California, the birthplace of mountain biking, there is exactly one state park where e-bikes can be ridden legally (China Camp State Park). If that doesn’t seem a big deal, consider that rangers can and do ticket riders of both bikes and e-bikes. Those tickets can run several hundred dollars, depending on the infraction.
The second issue is that even when e-bikes are permitted, only Class 1 e-bikes are allowed. Any e-bike with a throttle won’t be permitted on a park’s trails. Class 2 e-bikes must be ridden where Off-Highway Vehicles (OHV) are permitted, which means letting junior ride among motorcycles, four-wheelers and other such vehicles.
The third point to consider is that while many large parks have a network of “social trails” (read: illegal) often built by local riders, rangers do patrol these trails and ticket riders. These tickets can also run in the hundreds of dollars.
Should someone’s kid be caught by a ranger riding a Class 2 (with throttle) e-bike on illegal trails in a park where e-bikes aren’t permitted, the ticket could run north of $1000. And if the juvenile isn’t wearing a helmet, that could tack on an additional fine.
Maintaining a lookout
An experienced driver knows to constantly scan the scene in front of their vehicle in order to watch for cars pulling into the road, cyclists on the road, other cars making lane changes and pedestrians who step into traffic. Kids haven’t learned these lessons and will need to be taught what to watch for if they are going to ride in the street.
Whether the rider is in the traffic lane, but to the right of vehicles or in a bike lane, they need to watch the parked cars to their right. Drivers opening their door don’t tend to check their mirror before acting, and catching a door (cyclists call it “getting doored”), can send a rider to the ground in a hurry, and it can result in them being knocked into the traffic lane
Bike paths often carry their own risks. Kids need to learn that children younger than they are can be unpredictable. Whether walking, riding a skateboard, tricycle or even bicycle, young children move first and look later.
Knowing to watch for long leashes, especially retractable ones, as adults walk dogs is another skill they need to be taught. A kid getting clotheslined by a long leash is a real thing.
Our ears are an important part of staying alert to what’s around, as well. Kids should leave earbuds and headphones at home so they can hear approaching cars, barking dogs or pedestrians.
Consideration for others
No matter where someone rides an e-bike, being considerate of other riders, pedestrians and any other user nearby can help eliminate or reduce conflict among users. Here are some basic guidelines to keep in mind:
- Reduce speed. Any time other users are nearby, whether they are pedestrians, hikers, moms with strollers, or other cyclists, the kind thing to do is to slow down and reduce the relative difference in speed between the rider and the other person.
- Leave room. No one likes being passed by a rider who is only two feet away. When there isn’t much room to pass, slow down even more.
- Ride in a predictable way. The more a rider weaves through traffic, pedestrians or anyone else, the harder it can be to tell what the rider will do next and people don’t like to deal with anything unpredictable. Try to establish a consistent line.
- Use hand signals. The best way to communicate with people nearby is to use hand signals to indicate intent. It’s better to point out where the rider intends to go than to try to tell the other person what to do. Point left or right for turns and when slowing put a hand down with an open-palm to announce braking.
Taking care of an e-bike
Kids need to know that e-bikes are expensive and need to be taken care of, both from a maintenance standpoint as well as security.
- When an e-bike is noisy, it needs maintenance. Whether what is needed is chain lube, a shifter adjustment or brake work, an e-bike will begin making noise when it needs attention.
- Lock it up. Whether a kid is heading to school, a friend’s home or the movies, they need to secure their e-bike by locking it to something once they arrive.
The big picture
As parents, it’s our job to help our kids gain independence while also learning how to be reasonable people in society. Teaching a kid the ins and outs of e-bikes can help them learn important lessons about being safe as well as how to be considerate and respectful of others.
The trick is to help them see these lessons as a way to gain independence, rather than reign it in.
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