Kids and ebikes

[Snoop]

What are your thoughts about kids riding ebikes?

I know there have been some tragic stories in the news recently regarding accidents, and many ebike manufactures (I can confirm Rad and Aventon) have language in their user manuals advising kids not to ride.

This came into my thinking yesterday when I rode past what looked like at most a 9 year old girl riding an Aventure. That’s a whole lot of bike for a little kid to handle, and an almost 80lb machine traveling at 20 mph can do some damage to both the rider and others.

Even as an adult, I feel like some entry level education or training would be a good idea for a new ebike rider. Kids just are simply still immature and haven’t all developed proper judgement, coordination and motor skills yet.

I’m not a big advocate of dropping restrictive laws on ebikes, but do you think there should be a minimum age to ride?

 

[CloneWerks]

Define "kids". When I was 10 I was driving heavy farm equipment responsibly whereas my dad wouldn't let my 2 years senior sister within a foot of said equipment. The neighbor farm had 4 sons from 14 to 8 years of age, the "trike" style ATV came about and within a year they had 3 sons because the second oldest was a hot headed irresponsible idiot but the others also responsibly ran heavy farm equipment and drove "farm trucks" on the property without incident.

Having said that, my personal opinion is that ebikes should probably be limited to around 16 or older mostly due to physical size/strength. I absolutely do not think they should ever make or market ebikes specifically for anyone younger than that.

 

[JerryB]

I agree....16 would be a good age. Proper training is the key. I rode 3 and 4 wheelers with proper supervision when I was 13/14 years old. We wore proper equipment......always had an adult with us and knew what we were doing. I also know of a kid who wiped out on a 3 wheeler and ended up with some very serious injuries that carried over through adulthood. I see many kids around today on regular bikes.....they do not follow good sately rules.....I think they would do the same thing on an ebike....just faster.

 

[Hoggdoc]

What are your thoughts about kids riding ebikes?

I know there have been some tragic stories in the news recently regarding accidents, and many ebike manufactures (I can confirm Rad and Aventon) have language in their user manuals advising kids not to ride.

This came into my thinking yesterday when I rode past what looked like at most a 9 year old girl riding an Aventure. That’s a whole lot of bike for a little kid to handle, and an almost 80lb machine traveling at 20 mph can do some damage to both the rider and others.

Even as an adult, I feel like some entry level education or training would be a good idea for a new ebike rider. Kids just are simply still immature and haven’t all developed proper judgement, coordination and motor skills yet.

I’m not a big advocate of dropping restrictive laws on ebikes, but do you think there should be a minimum age to ride?

Yes but in all honesty do you really think it would stop kids from riding them. Its all the lack of parenting these days that causes these problems we are seeing with kids.

 

[Django]

It seems odd that California for example has an age limit for class 3, but not for class 2, which to me is closer to being a motorbike than the class 3.

I would think that most 12 year olds could probably handle a class 1. Young kids on class 2 or class 3 bikes seems like an accident waiting to happen.

 

[knightrider]

It seems odd that California for example has an age limit for class 3, but not for class 2, which to me is closer to being a motorbike than the class 3.

I would think that most 12 year olds could probably handle a class 1. Young kids on class 2 or class 3 bikes seems like an accident waiting to happen.

Here in the South people turn their kids loose on big ole 4 wheelers and side by sides. Red neck mentality for sure. No helmets no protective gear riding on the roadways.

 

[ETrike]

Great topic.
We charitably ran a local ATV youth safety class for a short while given the horror stories above some 20 odd years ago. The observable level of proper parenting today, as Hoggdoc mentioned, is obviously worse than when same prompted our efforts. I just hate to have any decision made in youth cut a life short or alter it physically forever. Apparently there are not a lot of us old geezers still around who witnessed the outright carnage as these relatively low-powered sports first took off.
My first inclination is to live free and ask myself who is going to police this stuff anyways or should with true policing needed pretty much everywhere else.
Then my conscience takes hold as I ask myself:
How many of these kids are even comfortable on a pedal bike in the first place let alone what will soon be mini-rocket sleds with pedals?

 

[knightrider]

Out in the country where I live you gotta watch the kids on the lil electric rigs as they will shoot out the drive ways onto the streets. Kids don`t know the danger. Parents are a lot of the time standing in the yard, on the dang phone, while the kiddies are riding. Kids have always done this thru the yrs. The society we have created just doesn`t watch the little ones as did the generations before. Oh yea ! and it is all about me these`s days.

 

[ETrike]

We'll likely see the tragic numbers that we saw in the Appalachian states well before ATV sales declined all over again.
And we likely already are if iit weren't for anything 'electric' being the second coming/never questioned let alone stopped in terms of subsidization.
When you have people up here advocating that the government should be obligated to buy them an ebike of all things...not many are going give a rip what they do with it or how dangerous it is any differently than parents filling out giveaway forms for their kid's free phones or propaganda tablets in school.

 

[neutron]

I can see the day when the state government steps in and requires license, registration, insurance, mandatory helmet laws, etc. for ebikes. At least in my left wing state of Maryland. Kids zooming up and down the bike path, weaving in and out of people walking and pushing strollers will generate enough complaints for the legislature to lick their chops over the thought of adding fees and more restrictions on our liberties. Of course regular adult cyclists do that now too. I can't believe how many of these spandex wearing Lance Armstrong wannabes ride on my local trails weaving in and out of people walking their dogs or pushing a stroller with a couple of little kids in tow. Actually there is more of that behavior from feral bicyclists than there are from ebikers . As the ebike population expands, that equation will change. Ok, rant over.

 

[ETrike]

^^^^^^...I have never understood why bicyclists can share the sidewalk and walking trails...yet commerce and literally life as we know it must be suspended for them to share the roads.
In some ways, kids have never been safer where previous speed limit and traffic design once centered around the common good not to mention sense has been thrown out the window.
Today's I-don't-want-anything-to-be-scary bikers of all sorts have basically wanted to have their cake and eat it too:
Let me ride literally everywhere, including the sidewalks...and (by gosh) keep everyone out of my way.
Kids and many older adults have either been brought up with and/or recently encouraged to adapt this attitude and ride accordingly.

I'm all for the rights of bicyclists on the roads and our trails; especially given the fact that most adults today haven't even rode a bike as kid much less desired a driver's license. This is a bad combination often creating perfect storms in terms of safety. We should all share the road save for certain highways.
What has happened instead is wealthy developers figuring out that if all traffic can be slowed down everywhere(?)...drivers and bicyclists will pretty much even be subconsciously encouraged to spend your money where these bottlenecks are intentionally occurring.
I apologize in advance if I broke that news to any idealists wishing to save the planet or create 'wheel equity' everywhere.

 

[JerryB]

What do a cyclist and a politician have in common?​

Both demand you respect them, but don't want to follow the same rules as you.

 

[neutron]

In my county in Maryland bikes can share the sidewalks but walkers have the right a way. So if you're riding a bike on the sidewalk and encounter a walker, you need to move aside and give them the sidewalk. It seems to work out okay. As a matter of fact, the same rules apply to the rail to trail as well, although the trail is wider than a sidewalk so passing is usually easy.

 

[neutron]

What do a cyclist and a politician have in common?​

Both demand you respect them, but don't want to follow the same rules as you.

You can substitute "citizens" for " cyclists ".

 

["A"]

I've ridden bicycles in five different continents and many more countries than I could count.
I have to say the infrastructures (& laws) in the US have hindered the people's ability to use bicycles as transportation.
Not only do motorists in general think that bicycles do not belong on public roads, most cyclist think they have to transport their bicycles in their cars to a designated trail to ride.
It's no wonder that children have no idea how to ride their bicycles in traffic, let alone share the trails with pedestrians.
I'd imagine, similar to helmet laws, children under 13 should be accompanied or supervised by adults while operating ebikes.
If parents allow their children to have ebikes, they should also be responsible for how their children operate them.
If parents are not responsible to educate their children; how do you expect them to learn anything anywhere else?

 

[ETrike]

You can substitute "citizens" for " cyclists ".

Het got it right.
Politicians and their 'citizen' puppets (often disguised as do-gooder NGOs) are the ones currently insisting that kids be taught nonsensical garbage and (ironically) less than equal treatment of individuals let alone issues. Our children's safety regarding ebikes will soon be no different.

 

[JerryB]

I've ridden bicycles in five different continents and many more countries than I could count.
I have to say the infrastructures (& laws) in the US have hindered the people's ability to use bicycles as transportation.
Not only do motorists in general think that bicycles do not belong on public roads, most cyclist think they have to transport their bicycles in their cars to a designated trail to ride.
It's no wonder that children have no idea how to ride their bicycles in traffic, let alone share the trails with pedestrians.
I'd imagine, similar to helmet laws, children under 13 should be accompanied or supervised by adults while operating ebikes.
If parents allow their children to have ebikes, they should also be responsible for how their children operate them.
If parents are not responsible to educate their children; how do you expect them to learn anything anywhere else?

Now just hold on there.....let me guess this straight....you want parents to educate their kids? And just who do you expect to educate those parents???? This is America for goodness sakes......we don't hold people responsible!!!!

 

["A"]

Education starts at home.
Behavior & reaction to emotions are learned at home, not a teacher's job to teach more than specific subjects in classrooms.
Kids need to leave home: ready for school, ready to learn.
Part of being a parent is to get your kids ready for learning in classrooms, in school.
If your child is not ready for school, you, as a parent, need to figure out why, not the teacher in the classroom.

https://www.wbur.org/onpoint/2023/04/06/how-to-fix-the-growing-discipline-problem-in-u-s-classrooms

 

[ETrike]

Education starts at home.
Behavior & reaction to emotions are learned at home, not a teacher's job to teach more than specific subjects in classrooms.
Kids need to leave home: ready for school, ready to learn.
Part of being a parent is to get your kids ready for learning in classrooms, in school.
If your child is not ready for school, you, as a parent, need to figure out why, not the teacher in the classroom.

https://www.wbur.org/onpoint/2023/04/06/how-to-fix-the-growing-discipline-problem-in-u-s-classrooms

I would argue that education starts at your local school Board and any other elected university positions of power up to and including our legislators.
Kids have no chance whatsoever to learn about anything themselves, including riding an ebike, when we keep acting as if this is the beginning of the baby boom all over again and that every kid has a parent or even an orphanage let alone a good one.
Kids need to witness adults fighting for them on some level **publicly**...which is likely the first question that will be asked at the pearly gates.

Question for the membership: Ever been to a school board meeting whether you have kids or not?...thought so.
Turns out that there are plenty of kids out there whose parents don't even know what goes on there and who still wouldn't go if they did.
A good share of others have been recently told that they will be labeled as "domestic terrorists" if they dare show up/speak up.

Freedom is not free and neither is education...with a few glaring exceptions currently.

 

[ETrike]

Even if we lusted after teaching our kids to ride ebikes at taxpayer's expense, it would never last.
If you think that corrupt unions have ruined just about everything on the planet (including schools)...ambulance chasers long supporting the same political party make 'em all look like a bunch of amateurs.