What would you do if you saw a ten-year-old child swerving through traffic behind the wheel of a car? Most people would stop, stare and question whether their eyes were playing tricks on them. A child driving a vehicle through city streets would seem reckless, dangerous and completely unacceptable.
If you can believe it, this ridiculous scenario is slowly morphing into a disturbing reality- in a slightly different form. Just replace cars with the current trending method of transportation for the younger generation: Electric Bikes, or E-Bikes.
In recent years, there has been a drastic increase in the usage of E-Bikes. E-Bikes offer a more accessible method of transportation, which can go faster than normal bikes without the physical exertion. The problem is that many E-Bikers are young kids whose parents thought it would be brilliant to surprise their kids with an E-Bike on Christmas morning.
In the State of Florida, E-Bikes are conveniently labeled as bicycles, not motor vehicles, which require no license or registration. So, until the government regulates its policies on E-Bikes, it becomes the duty of parents to ensure their child’s safety. That includes not purchasing the embodiment of a safety hazard for their children. After all, most young kids are not buying expensive, mini vehicles on their own.
At the risk of sounding like a grouchy old man, I think that any parent who allows their child to ride on one of these is doing a tremendous disservice not only to their child, but also to the community by contributing to the hazardous road conditions of our neighborhoods.
Since 2019, E-Bike-related injuries have risen by 90%, with almost half of these incidents occurring with patients under 18 years old, according to the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons. Many E-Bikers who are generally very young not only endanger themselves by inviting a multitude of fractures, dislocations and traumatic brain injuries (often from not wearing a helmet), but they leave pedestrians and other cars susceptible to fatal, high-speed collisions as well.
In reality, the E-Bike is just a lower-caliber motorcycle. It can travel up to top speeds of 55-70 mph. This is a serious motor vehicle that is being driven by people who are, quite frankly, far too inexperienced to be traversing the roads.
I am not insensitive to the desires of the younger generation. After all, I fall into this very category. The E-Bike has become undoubtedly fashionable within teen culture, bringing home nagging children pestering their parents to buy them the newest trend. But parents, this is parallel to your child asking you to buy them a crippling hospital bill. Be logical. Keep your children safe. I am sure there are plenty of other ways for your children to get their dopamine hit.
To all E-Bike riders, please watch yourselves. You are riding on a lethal weapon, so treat it as such.
To all parents, this has to end. There have already been numerous E-Bike accidents in 2026. Let’s stop the spread of E-Bikes before rash and youthful innocence devolves into fatal catastrophe. It seems impossible that it can happen to your child- until it does.
