CA lawmaker proposes legislation to restrict e-bike speed as safety concerns rise

PETALUMA, Calif. (KGO) -- You see them everywhere these days: people zipping around on e-bikes, especially kids.

Police in the North Bay say e-bike accidents are out of control.

Multiple crashes over several days involving young people are now driving new legislation to make e-bikes safer.

Petaluma police are sounding the alarm about the dangers of e-bikes and e-motorcycles, posting a video on social media of a young rider blasting through stop signs.

"What we're seeing with the collisions is that the injuries that are being sustained by the riders are more consistent with those of someone who's riding a dirt bike or, you know, something that's propelling them at a speed that's more significant than a pedal bike would be," said Sgt. Mario Gomio.

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Gomio also noted the incident is just one of a few incidents over the past several days involving e-bikes and e-motorcycles -- the difference being that motorcycles have a throttle and no pedals.

"We don't want to see anything bad happen to any children or anyone in our community, and we're doing our part, and sometimes that comes with us having to be the bad guys who are enforcing it," Gomio said.

"You're dealing with something that goes very fast, very quickly," said Assemblymember Diane Papan, San Mateo.

She's proposing new legislation that would put strict regulations on the power of these bikes. Anything above 750 watts would be reclassified and require a license to operate.

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"You may not sell a bike that has a peak of greater than 750 watts, and it's already that way in Europe. So if you will pardon the pun, manufacturer would have to throttle back on the wattage. Emergency room physicians are saying they're seeing a lot of injuries," Papan said.

According to a study recently published by The Journal of the American Medical Association, e-bike injuries in California rose from 751 in 2017 to more than 23,493 in 2022.

"Like with any new technology that comes around, there might be some catching up to do to make sure it is safe," Papan said.

Meanwhile, police are asking parents to pay close attention to the type of bike they are buying.