Electric bicycles have become a popular and sustainable way for people of all ages to get around without a car.
But as Summit County sheriff’s spokesperson Skyler Talbot says, they also create new safety concerns for kids in particular.
“We're very fortunate that we haven't had a more serious accident with these e-bikes. We're fortunate that we haven't had one of our youth seriously injured or killed,” he told KPCW earlier in May. “It's happened across the state, across the country.”
In early May, a car and a youth on an e-bike had a close call when they collided at the intersection of Kilby Road and Pinebrook Boulevard.
The car clipped the bike’s back tire, and the child sustained “minor scratches,” according to Talbot. The sheriff’s office didn’t establish that any one party was at fault.
Then on May 22, deputies say another child was operating an “electric motorcycle” at reckless speeds in the lower Pinebrook area.
A deputy gave chase and the kid hid behind a house before a witness told the deputy where they were. The child involved was detained, cited for multiple offenses and released to his mother.
The e-motorcycle was impounded.
“The majority of the ‘e-bikes,’” Talbot said, “under state statute, they're just simply not e-bikes.”
Talbot said parents can help by educating themselves on what level of e-bike or e-motorcycle they’re buying for their kids and how fast they can go. Utah law recognizes three types of e-bikes.
Class 1 e-bikes are pedal-assisted but without a throttle, and they reach 20 mph. Class 2 e-bikes are pedal-assisted with a throttle and reach 20 mph too.
Class 3 e-bikes are pedal-assisted, have no throttle and reach 28 mph.
A new law passed last year required e-bikes sold in Utah that don’t fall into a category to come with a sticker that says so.
“With the warmer weather approaching, these e-bikes are — just as they've been in years past — they're going to be a hot topic,” the sheriff’s spokesperson said. “We are continually responding to issues on e-bikes, and we are really hopeful that we can see it decline.”
He said kids and drivers can help by practicing caution.
Last summer, Park City and the Snyderville Basin instituted a 15 mph speed limit on paved multiuse paths such as the Millenium Trail.
