As e-bike fatalities mount, New Jersey safety advocates say the state must alter its law — yet to take effect — regulating the bicycles’ use.
A 16-year-old boy died in Southampton on Tuesday after his bike collided with a delivery van. Services were on Wednesday for a Middletown teenager who crashed into the back of a car. Last year, before the bill was signed, a 13-year-old boy struck a landscaping truck, and a 49-year-old man, riding on a highway without a helmet, was the victim of a hit-and-run.
In January, former Gov. Phil Murphy signed an e-bike regulations bill that requires riders to be at least 15 years old, and to possess an e-bike permit or driver’s license, registration and insurance. That law, though, does not take effect until July 19. It does not distinguish between e-bikes with a 20 mph maximum and those capable of reaching 40 mph or more.
“We’d like to see that the restrictions for licensing and registration and insurance be removed from the low speed,” said Debra Kagan, executive director of the New Jersey Bike and Walk Coalition. She favors stronger regulations for the high-speed models.
Regulations are an additional burden on riders who may be priced out of owning a car, Kagan said.
“There are so many people who use low-speed e-bikes for basic transportation,” Kagan said. “People who have disabilities who cannot get driver’s licenses. People who deliver our food and use it for their livelihoods.”
‘Clear distinction’
Lawmakers pointed to the rise in fatal crashes involving minors as their motivation for the bill, which was sponsored by Senate President Nicholas Scutari and swiftly passed. Kagan argued that more research is needed before a broad e-bikes restriction can be put into place.
“There needs to be a clear distinction between what is a low-speed e-bike and what is an e-motorcycle,” Kagan said. “We need to identify the devices so that we have good data on what is actually causing the problems with crashes and fatalities.”
The online retail market is ripe for regulation, she said, because many consumers do not understand what they are buying.
“It’s much better if you buy locally and you work with a local e-bike retail store to get what is the best bike for you or for your children,” she said. “And to make sure you understand what that bike is capable of and how you can ride it safely.”
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