That $4000 e-bike for your teenager almost killed me (but worry most for your kid)
More importantly, the seriousness of the accidents. Four children lost their lives on e-bikes in Australia in the last four months. Our statistics are a lagging indicator of what is happening abroad. in the USAIn the country where e-bike sales quadrupled between 2019 and 2022, bicycle-related injuries increased 10 times and head injuries increased 49 times. The chance of a pedal bike injury being fatal is 0.3 percent; According to the Light Electric Vehicles Association, this rate is 11 percent for e-bikes. New York Times. Of the 30 bicycle accident deaths in New York in 2023, 23 were on e-bikes. Arguments for reform will be even more convincing once Australia has the data.
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NSW’s proposals to cut power to e-bikes are only incremental. Other jurisdictions around the world have mandated registration and licensing, lower age limits, mandatory safety courses, battery power limits, bans on apps and other devices designed to unlock speed limits, reclassification of e-bikes as motorcycles, and outright bans. (Beijing Banned e-bikes completely in 2002 The ban was lifted four years later, following a sixfold increase in deaths.) The creation of special lanes for e-bikes is also being discussed.
There is an energetic pursuit of reform in Australia, but it is generally accepted that implementation has been lacking. Last month, NSW Police Operation Trans It resulted in 176 infringement notices and 111 warnings across Sutherland, St George, South Sydney and the eastern beaches. The fine for illegal e-bike use has been increased to $818 and Assistant Commissioner David Driver warned parents: “If you’re considering buying an e-bike for Christmas, make sure it complies with NSW law. Don’t be pressured into buying the most powerful bike by your children, peers or salespeople.”
This is all very well, but to an undeveloped mind, knowing you’re breaking the law is half the fun. Convincing parents to buy a $4000 bike is one thing, but the icing on the cake is being smart enough to break the speed limit and ride to a party with three friends. Pushing the limits is a kind of adolescence. Scaring adult drivers or pedestrians is a bonus. Technology has put deadly weapons in the hands of children, and the world is belatedly waking up to the lethality of e-bikes.
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The effort put into e-bike law reform means nothing without compliance, respect and common sense. I feel like we’re about five years away from responding to the rise in deaths with draconian measures, including a ban. A good way to avoid this outcome may be self-education; this can be a way for young riders to communicate among themselves the seriousness of injuries, the price their friends have to pay for a moment of carelessness or inattention. I wish there were direct information sharing channels through which those under the age of 16 could achieve this.
Malcolm Knox is a journalist, author and columnist for the Sydney Morning Herald.
