These Are NOT Toys
We’ve all seen them. A child who looks barely old enough for middle school flies down a residential street on an electric bike. Another zips along a sidewalk without a helmet. Sometimes two kids are sharing a bike designed for one rider, moving quickly enough that a driver backing out of a driveway may have only seconds to react.
And they are moving fast.
Electric bikes and scooters have seemingly gone from novelty to neighborhood fixture almost overnight. They can be fun and convenient, but their popularity has created a concern many parents may not fully appreciate: These are not simply bicycles with a little extra help.
Under Ohio law, a Class 1 e-bike provides assistance while the rider pedals and can assist up to 20 mph. A Class 2 can propel the bike without the rider pedaling, also up to 20 mph. Class 3 bikes provide pedal assistance up to 28 mph — approaching the speed of automobile traffic on many residential streets. Ohio prohibits anyone under 16 from operating a Class 3 e-bike.
That combination of speed and young, inexperienced riders has caught the attention of police departments and communities throughout Northeast Ohio.
A growing local concern
In September, Mentor City Council approved new regulations intended to make e-bike rules clearer and easier to enforce. Among other provisions, Mentor now requires e-bike riders to wear helmets, prohibits passengers unless the bike is designed for them, requires riders to warn pedestrians before passing and requires the motor to be turned off when an e-bike is ridden on a sidewalk.
Incoming Mentor Police Chief Mike Majernik says the city had been receiving numerous complaints about riders traveling at high speeds on sidewalks and bike paths.
“The laws that were on the books made it difficult for our officers to enforce,” Majernik says. “The new e-bike laws passed by Mentor City Council make it much easier for our road officers to spot a violation and take appropriate enforcement action.”
What concerns him most is the age and experience of some riders.
Mentor isn’t alone in addressing the issue. Other Northeast Ohio communities have also adopted or considered additional rules governing e-bikes and other motorized devices as their popularity has grown.
Beachwood recently updated its laws to require helmets for riders younger than 18 and prohibit e-bike motors from being used on sidewalks. Chagrin Falls adopted similar regulations requiring helmets for riders under 18, restricting motorized operation on sidewalks and establishing additional rules for scooters and other micromobility devices. Independence also now requires helmets for e-bike riders and passengers under 18 and prohibits Class 3 e-bikes on sidewalks.
Nearby Willoughby has also addressed the issue. After several Safety Committee meetings prompted in part by concerns about young riders, City Council approved changes to its e-bike regulations in September, including restrictions on younger children operating an e-bike with the motor engaged.
Know what your child is riding
One complication is that parents may not realize exactly what they are buying.
Ohio’s legal definition of an e-bike includes requirements involving the bike’s motor, pedals and maximum assisted speed. Some electric two-wheelers marketed alongside e-bikes are powerful or fast enough that they may actually fall into another motor-vehicle classification.
“They are not normal bicycles,” Majernik says. “The laws are complex, and there are kids riding e-bikes or minibikes that are classified as motorcycles based on how they work.”
That distinction matters. A child operating what legally qualifies as a motorcycle or another motor vehicle without the proper license can face consequences, and parents may also bear responsibility for allowing the child to operate it.
Before buying one, parents should know its classification, maximum speed and where it can legally be ridden. Just as important, they should honestly consider whether their child has the maturity and judgment to operate it around cars, pedestrians and other riders.
The consequences can be serious
Majernik says Mentor had a couple of serious e-bike accidents involving injuries this past summer and receives frequent complaints about unsafe riding.
“We don’t want someone on an e-bike or scooter struck by a car,” he says. “People driving don’t want to injure someone, and people walking the sidewalks and bike paths don’t want people zipping by at high speeds and worrying about getting struck.”
Pediatric experts have raised similar concerns. E-bikes are faster and heavier than traditional bicycles and can require more judgment and control. Knowing how to ride a conventional bicycle doesn’t necessarily mean a child is ready for an electric one.
Helmets help reduce risk, but they don’t eliminate it. Nor can a helmet make up for a rider who doesn’t understand right-of-way, intersections, stopping distance or how quickly a car can appear from a driveway or side street.
“Kids are kids, and no matter how much a parent may tell them to be careful, when they get in a group they tend to push the limits,” Majernik says.
That puts an important part of the responsibility on parents.
An e-bike may be sold as recreation and may look a lot like the bicycle a child has ridden for years, but adding a motor and significantly more speed changes the equation. Before handing over the handlebars, parents need to understand what the device can do — and whether their child is truly ready for it.
Majernik’s message is simple.“They are not toys,” he says. “Simply put, e-bikes are not safe for children to ride. It is like allowing your child to ride a motorcycle with no driver’s license and no knowledge of the traffic laws.”
For younger kids, there is still another option that has worked pretty well for generations: the traditional bicycle.
It doesn’t have a motor, but it does come with brakes, pedals and one remarkably effective built-in speed limiter — tired legs.
– Article by Dan Miller, Today’s Family
And they are moving fast.
Electric bikes and scooters have seemingly gone from novelty to neighborhood fixture almost overnight. They can be fun and convenient, but their popularity has created a concern many parents may not fully appreciate: These are not simply bicycles with a little extra help.
Under Ohio law, a Class 1 e-bike provides assistance while the rider pedals and can assist up to 20 mph. A Class 2 can propel the bike without the rider pedaling, also up to 20 mph. Class 3 bikes provide pedal assistance up to 28 mph — approaching the speed of automobile traffic on many residential streets. Ohio prohibits anyone under 16 from operating a Class 3 e-bike.
That combination of speed and young, inexperienced riders has caught the attention of police departments and communities throughout Northeast Ohio.
A growing local concern
In September, Mentor City Council approved new regulations intended to make e-bike rules clearer and easier to enforce. Among other provisions, Mentor now requires e-bike riders to wear helmets, prohibits passengers unless the bike is designed for them, requires riders to warn pedestrians before passing and requires the motor to be turned off when an e-bike is ridden on a sidewalk.
Incoming Mentor Police Chief Mike Majernik says the city had been receiving numerous complaints about riders traveling at high speeds on sidewalks and bike paths.
“The laws that were on the books made it difficult for our officers to enforce,” Majernik says. “The new e-bike laws passed by Mentor City Council make it much easier for our road officers to spot a violation and take appropriate enforcement action.”
What concerns him most is the age and experience of some riders.
“Young kids are riding e-bikes and scooters that reach high speeds, and they don’t require a driver’s license,” he says. “Young kids don’t know the rules of the road and don’t have the awareness that you develop when learning to drive a car.”
Mentor isn’t alone in addressing the issue. Other Northeast Ohio communities have also adopted or considered additional rules governing e-bikes and other motorized devices as their popularity has grown.
Beachwood recently updated its laws to require helmets for riders younger than 18 and prohibit e-bike motors from being used on sidewalks. Chagrin Falls adopted similar regulations requiring helmets for riders under 18, restricting motorized operation on sidewalks and establishing additional rules for scooters and other micromobility devices. Independence also now requires helmets for e-bike riders and passengers under 18 and prohibits Class 3 e-bikes on sidewalks.
Nearby Willoughby has also addressed the issue. After several Safety Committee meetings prompted in part by concerns about young riders, City Council approved changes to its e-bike regulations in September, including restrictions on younger children operating an e-bike with the motor engaged.
One complication is that parents may not realize exactly what they are buying.
Ohio’s legal definition of an e-bike includes requirements involving the bike’s motor, pedals and maximum assisted speed. Some electric two-wheelers marketed alongside e-bikes are powerful or fast enough that they may actually fall into another motor-vehicle classification.
“They are not normal bicycles,” Majernik says. “The laws are complex, and there are kids riding e-bikes or minibikes that are classified as motorcycles based on how they work.”
That distinction matters. A child operating what legally qualifies as a motorcycle or another motor vehicle without the proper license can face consequences, and parents may also bear responsibility for allowing the child to operate it.
Before buying one, parents should know its classification, maximum speed and where it can legally be ridden. Just as important, they should honestly consider whether their child has the maturity and judgment to operate it around cars, pedestrians and other riders.
The consequences can be serious
Majernik says Mentor had a couple of serious e-bike accidents involving injuries this past summer and receives frequent complaints about unsafe riding.
“We don’t want someone on an e-bike or scooter struck by a car,” he says. “People driving don’t want to injure someone, and people walking the sidewalks and bike paths don’t want people zipping by at high speeds and worrying about getting struck.”
Pediatric experts have raised similar concerns. E-bikes are faster and heavier than traditional bicycles and can require more judgment and control. Knowing how to ride a conventional bicycle doesn’t necessarily mean a child is ready for an electric one.
Helmets help reduce risk, but they don’t eliminate it. Nor can a helmet make up for a rider who doesn’t understand right-of-way, intersections, stopping distance or how quickly a car can appear from a driveway or side street.
“Kids are kids, and no matter how much a parent may tell them to be careful, when they get in a group they tend to push the limits,” Majernik says.
That puts an important part of the responsibility on parents.
An e-bike may be sold as recreation and may look a lot like the bicycle a child has ridden for years, but adding a motor and significantly more speed changes the equation. Before handing over the handlebars, parents need to understand what the device can do — and whether their child is truly ready for it.
Majernik’s message is simple.“They are not toys,” he says. “Simply put, e-bikes are not safe for children to ride. It is like allowing your child to ride a motorcycle with no driver’s license and no knowledge of the traffic laws.”
For younger kids, there is still another option that has worked pretty well for generations: the traditional bicycle.
It doesn’t have a motor, but it does come with brakes, pedals and one remarkably effective built-in speed limiter — tired legs.
– Article by Dan Miller, Today’s Family