LOUISVILLE, Colorado. — Perry Fletcher, sales manager for Colorado E-bike, said his business has seen an increase in sales to youth and families this fall with the return to school due to the growing popularity of electric bikes.
But kids' enthusiasm for new vehicles is tempered by a constant question from worried parents: Are they safe?
It's not always easy to answer.
Federal regulations on e-bikes are limited and efforts to expand them have stalled, leaving states and even counties to fill the gap with their own rules that vary from place to place. Meanwhile, the huge variety of electric bikes available vary in design, speed and quality.
Against this backdrop, retailers like Fletcher are trying to teach consumers how to make informed decisions.
“We're very careful about what comes into the store because there are risks,” he said.
Federal regulations requiring battery safety standards electric bicycles and other devices such as electric scooters are in limbo after the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), an independent federal agency charged with protecting the public from deaths and injuries related to bicycles and other products, issued a recall in August regulation proposal.
The commission then sent the rules to a regulatory agency within the Office of Management and Budget for revision in response to the request. decree released in February by President Donald Trump calling on independent agencies like the CPSC to become more aligned with White House priorities.
In May, Trump fired three commission members appointed by his predecessor, former President Joe Biden.
Meanwhile, other standards are being promoted commission to eliminate injuries caused by mechanical failures were suspended. Shira Rawlinson, CPSC communications director, said the agency plans to update the status of both proposals.
Electric bicycles are currently subject to standards designed for traditional bicycles, which the commission has previously determined are insufficient to reduce the risk of injury. Colorado, Minnesota th Utah They recently passed laws regulating the use of e-bikes to fill this gap.
These laws address issues such as the risk of battery fires and user safety, and also seek to differentiate between lower-speed electric bicycles and electric motorcycles, which are electric motorcycles that can reach speeds of 35 mph or more.
There is no federal law setting a minimum age for riding an electric bicycle, but more than half of the states have restrictions on the use of electric bicycles. Class 3that reach speeds of up to 28 mph, and two California counties recently set the minimum age for Class 2 e-bikes with a maximum speed of 20 mph.
“The biggest problem is that e-bikes could go from being a battery-powered vehicle to almost being a motorized scooter,” explained state Rep. Leslie Smith, D-Colo., who co-sponsored the legislation in that state.
Colorado law requires lithium-ion batteries to be safety certified because they can explode if not manufactured or used correctly. Between 2019 and 2023, these micromobility devices such as electric bicycles were responsible for 39 deaths and 181 injuries, according to the CPSC.
Most retailers, importers and distributors have agreed to use batteries that meet safety standards, but there will always be manufacturers who cut costs while compromising user safety, said Ed Benjamin, president of the Light Electric Vehicle Association, which represents hundreds of suppliers of electric bicycles or parts.
“There are those who don't care about doing the right thing. They just want to make the cheapest possible bike,” Benjamin said.
Amy Thompson, coordinator of the Safe Routes program for the Boulder Valley School District, said school officials are trying to install more bike racks at several schools because of the increased use of electric versions.
Thompson explained that students use them to quickly get to school or activities, and to easily transport sports equipment or musical instruments. He also observed disturbing behavior, such as three students riding the same bike, riding without a helmet, or performing dangerous maneuvers such as the electric “wheels” popularized on social media.
Thompson said minors disable the speed limiter on their bikes to go faster. “It’s very easy for kids to go on YouTube and find a video that teaches them how to turn off the gas on a bike,” he said.
In September Thompson warned parents about the need to monitor your children's electric bikes, and noted last year that the lines between bicycles and electric motorcycles are blurring. increasingly blurry.
These blurred distinctions complicate classification system electric bicycles, fully or partially adopted in almost all states. According to this system, the power of bicycle electric motors should not exceed 750 W. Class 1 bicycles are pedal powered and must not exceed 20 mph; Class 2 includes accelerator and must also be maintained below 20 miles; and Class 3 have pedal assist with a top speed of 48 mph.
According to Smith, the Colorado lawmaker, some e-bikes can easily switch between Class 2 and 3, sometimes without parents' knowledge. Last year in California, a mother sued an electric bike maker, alleging that its products were marketed as Class 2 when in fact they could be upgraded to Class 3.
The dangers of Class 2 e-bikes have led to California's Marin County prohibit that they are used by minors under 16 years of age and require that anyone operating them wear a helmet.
According to county health officials, minors between the ages of 10 and 15 who are involved in accidents on these bicycles require emergency medical attention. five times more than in other groups age in such accidents.
The increase in serious injuries on electric bicycles, especially among adolescents, represents an emerging public health problem. warned the American College of Surgeons) in June.
Talia Smith, Marin County Legislative Director, pushed State Law allowing the county to impose age restrictions. However, he said that after hearing from a dozen counties with similar problems, the Legislature should move to pass a state law that would replace the county-by-county regulations.
San Diego County, for example, prohibits minors under 12 years of age use class 1 or 2 bikes.
Vehicles that claim to be both bicycles and electric motorcycles fall into a regulatory void between two agencies: the CPSC and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), explained Matt Moore, legal and public policy counsel for People For Bikes, a trade association for the bicycle industry that includes electric bicycles.
The organization wants the Highway Safety Administration to stop shipments or take other legal action against electric motorcycles that are sold as e-bikes without following federal regulations, Moore said.
If the federal government doesn't take action, states should clarify their laws and define electric motorcycles as off-road vehicles or motorized vehicles that require licensing, he added.
In October California creates legal framework for electric motorcycles and ordered them to wear identification plates issued by the Department of Motor Vehicles for off-road use.
In Boulder, the school district views communication and education as critical pillars of safety, Thompson said. He said children and teenagers need to know and respect the rules of the road, whether they use their leg power or the accelerator to move on two wheels.
“Electric bicycles are an interesting, environmentally friendly and relatively inexpensive form of transport. How can we make them safer and more accessible for families?” he asked.
