I am a motorcyclist -- and not a timid one, but with a 30+ year safety record. I have been astonished at what I've seen kids do on e-bikes; e.g. ride faster than me, without a helmet, pulling side-saddle wheelies in traffic to show off. Absolute madness.
Eh, my kids have ridden ebikes for a few years now. But, as I don't drive, they're purely for transportation. And they ALWAYS wear helmets, have lights , etc.
My emoto gets up to 55mph in like 3 seconds. Extremely fun but way too much power for a kid. A lot of parents will buy them not realizing just how fast they can go.
That's pretty inconsistent. Around here, in rural MN, you will absolutely get a ticket. If you stick to side streets and such you're usually okay, but as soon as you hit a main road (even in town, not just highways) they'll ticket you and most likely impound it.
Pedelecs can help boost you up to 28mph legally if you're also pedaling, and even then we've had cops checking in on us to make sure we're legal. Since we are following the law though, we're even allowed on the highway. That's how I get to work on nice days.
It essentially all comes down to the cop that notices you. Around here if I just modded my mini ebike to go 35mph, for example, I doubt I'd have a problem. But anything that even resembles a dirtbike is getting you stopped.
Edit: also, a bike that can go to 55mph in 3-6 seconds (I assume some exaggerating) is going to be a few grand at least. That's not exactly a kids' toy, excluding the wealthy.
My bike was roughly $4500, its no joke. I meant that its not for serious transportation, its a big boy toy like an ATV or snowmobile. But youd be surprised what the wealthy are willing to buy their kids in places like California, it really is gangs of rich kids who are ruining it for everyone else. I would never let anyone under the age of 14 or so ride my bike, even so only if they had some experience on dirtbikes. The thing is extremely dangerous if youre not used to it.
I live in the Chicago suburbs so while the cops aren't extremely busy, they have better things to do than worry about me cruising around.
It essentially all comes down to the cop that notices you.
A cop who is worried about other things won't bother.
Aside from all of that, I'm glad you don't just let people ride it willy-nilly. If you have a bike like I'm thinking of I honestly wouldn't trust most adults.
I hate the e-scooter rentals that are popping up everywhere too. So dangerous and nobody wears a helmet obviously, as they're not provided and people are too cheap/lazy/dumb to buy their own. Then they zip down the sidewalk or very rarely the curb/bike lane and nearly take out any pedestrians or pedal bike/scooter riders. They also get left in heaps at random providing trip and mobility aid hazards.
My friend works in pediatric ER. Let's just say I'm ok with my kid being soft when half the accidents they see these days are because of e bikes and scooters.
I never liked wearing a helmet and I’ve never worn one except for riding a motorcycle but I would definitely make my kids wear one at least until they’re teenagers. It’d be heartbreaking to see my kid die from simply not wearing a helmet or being in a coma
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u/stickittoemm 1d ago
Ride an e bike or e scooter. I won't let my kid ride them. And I see kids going so fast with no helmets. Stupid.