A growing number of children are being seriously injured or killed while riding e-bikes and other electrified two-wheelers, prompting officials in several states to explore an unusual response: prosecuting parents.
In Southern California, one district attorney’s office has opened more than two dozen investigations into parents, with charges already filed against four. Among them is a mother whose 14-year-old son allegedly struck and killed an elderly pedestrian while riding an e-motorcycle, and a father accused of buying his 12-year-old an e-motorcycle and helping him illegally modify it for higher speeds before the boy was injured running a red light.
The push comes as hospitals report a sharp rise in severe injuries tied to e-bikes, e-scooters and similar devices, with medical researchers noting that young riders are especially vulnerable. Doctors say these patients tend to be younger, frequently unhelmeted, and often suffer worse trauma than those injured on traditional bicycles.
Regulations vary widely from state to state. Some require riders to be at least 15 or 16 years old and mandate licensing, registration or speed limits, while other states have no age minimum at all for lower-powered models. One major city recently pressured dozens of online retailers to stop selling illegally modified bikes marketed as “e-bikes” after a teenager died in a crash involving one such vehicle.
Not everyone agrees prosecution is the right approach. Some parents argue a single national standard would help more than scattered local rules. Cycling advocates say the real danger comes from motorcycle-style vehicles falsely marketed as e-bikes, and argue existing traffic laws — covering red lights, sidewalk riding and helmet use — simply need stronger enforcement instead of new restrictions.
Meanwhile, several families say the responsibility ultimately begins at home, with parents researching the vehicles, riding alongside their children early on, and reinforcing safety habits before letting them ride independently — even as many admit the current patchwork of rules makes that harder than it should be.