On a late June afternoon, the son of Clarissa Champlain, Brodee, found himself in a big vehicle crash on a busy road.
Like many others before him, Brodee was riding an electric bike (e-bike). E-bikes can usually only go up to 20 miles an hour, but other cars can go way faster than that, making riding dangerous. On a congested road, Brodee was turning left when he was hit by a van and thrown off.
Brodee was greatly injured in the crash and quickly rushed to the hospital in critical condition. However, a few days later, another boy in an e-bike crash was also brought into the hospital. The frequency and seriousness of the accidents are shocking to many.
Safety concerns put the improving e-bike industry in a new light. The speed that the e-bikes can go can be fast, too fast for middle and high schoolers. Some speeds even go above the legal limit for e-bikes.
“The speed they are going is too fast for sidewalks, but it’s too slow to be in traffic,” said Jeremy Collis, a sergeant at the North Coastal Station of the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office. Riders on e-bikes are going at speeds far beyond safety regulations. This endangers the rider and the people around the bike.
Action has already been taken to try and tighten regulations for e-bikes. People are now starting to become aware of the great dangers that riding an e-bike can have. In Oregon, anyone must be 16 to ride an e-bike.
E-bikes are cool to ride since they can accelerate quickly with their electric engines and pedals. The bikes are helping in turning transportation into clean, green energy rather than gas and polluting cars. It is hard to know how many people have e-bikes since they can be sold without the government or anyone else knowing.
Officials have started planting new limits and training programs to help reduce the number of accidents involving e-bikes. Some bikes are especially dangerous since they can easily be modified.
The Sur-Ron, a popular e-bike company, usually makes bikes with a speed limit of 20 kilometers an hour. However, the speed wire can be cut and the max speed can easily be increased by 60 miles an hour. There are lots of videos and sources which teach people how to modify their e-bikes.
Ms. Champlain thinks that “There should be more education for drivers with the change that’s happened,” she said. “I’d never seen an e-bike on the road until three years ago. Now I see hundreds.”
“They’re treated like bicycles when they’re not. They’re not equal.”
With more and more teenagers getting hurt in e-bike crashes, safety concerns are overtaking the country. Regulations and laws have been placed in the hope to lower the top speed of the bikes and raise the age limit for getting one. Although e-bikes help the environment, they are a threat to teen safety.
Great conclusion. No edits here, this is perfect. Ready to be published
Sources: ‘A Dangerous Combination’: Teenagers’ Accidents Expose E-Bike Risks
Like many others before him, Brodee was riding an electric bike (e-bike). E-bikes can usually only go up to 20 miles an hour, but other cars can go way faster than that, making riding dangerous. On a congested road, Brodee was turning left when he was hit by a van and thrown off.
Brodee was greatly injured in the crash and quickly rushed to the hospital in critical condition. However, a few days later, another boy in an e-bike crash was also brought into the hospital. The frequency and seriousness of the accidents are shocking to many.
Safety concerns put the improving e-bike industry in a new light. The speed that the e-bikes can go can be fast, too fast for middle and high schoolers. Some speeds even go above the legal limit for e-bikes.
“The speed they are going is too fast for sidewalks, but it’s too slow to be in traffic,” said Jeremy Collis, a sergeant at the North Coastal Station of the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office. Riders on e-bikes are going at speeds far beyond safety regulations. This endangers the rider and the people around the bike.
Action has already been taken to try and tighten regulations for e-bikes. People are now starting to become aware of the great dangers that riding an e-bike can have. In Oregon, anyone must be 16 to ride an e-bike.
E-bikes are cool to ride since they can accelerate quickly with their electric engines and pedals. The bikes are helping in turning transportation into clean, green energy rather than gas and polluting cars. It is hard to know how many people have e-bikes since they can be sold without the government or anyone else knowing.
Officials have started planting new limits and training programs to help reduce the number of accidents involving e-bikes. Some bikes are especially dangerous since they can easily be modified.
The Sur-Ron, a popular e-bike company, usually makes bikes with a speed limit of 20 kilometers an hour. However, the speed wire can be cut and the max speed can easily be increased by 60 miles an hour. There are lots of videos and sources which teach people how to modify their e-bikes.
Ms. Champlain thinks that “There should be more education for drivers with the change that’s happened,” she said. “I’d never seen an e-bike on the road until three years ago. Now I see hundreds.”
“They’re treated like bicycles when they’re not. They’re not equal.”
With more and more teenagers getting hurt in e-bike crashes, safety concerns are overtaking the country. Regulations and laws have been placed in the hope to lower the top speed of the bikes and raise the age limit for getting one. Although e-bikes help the environment, they are a threat to teen safety.
Great conclusion. No edits here, this is perfect. Ready to be published
Sources: ‘A Dangerous Combination’: Teenagers’ Accidents Expose E-Bike Risks
