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Protect kids form risky e-bikes, e-scooters

By: Andrew Caggiano
Your Turn
Guest columnist

..... On September 24, [2025] the Scotch Plains [NJ] community face an unspeakable, horrible tragedy: A 13-year-old middle school student riding an electric bicycle collided with a landscaping truck. Nico Lombardi, a beloved son, brother and friend, was killed.
..... As Nico's many family members and friends mourn this immense loss, we have hard about the need to make electronic bicycles and powered scooters safer on our streets. while there are many opinions on how that should be accomplished, all would agree that something needs to be done to protect children.
..... electric bicycles, or e-bikes, have become increasingly popular among children and teenagers in recent years, with 1.7 million e-bikes sold last year, [2024] almost a 75% increase from 2023. While they are fun to ride, they carry significant safety hazards for young riders, many of whom are barely 10 years old, can become easily distracted and do not yet know the common rules of the road.
..... Unlike traditional bicycles and scooters, the electric versions accelerate rapidly, and demand greater strength and coordination to maneuver safely. Many accidents result from children losing control, misjudging traffic speeds, or failing to navigate turns and obstacles effectively.
..... We see that young riders often lack the cognitive maturity and physical ability to manage these machines safely, especially on busy streets when the school dismissal bell rings. Police also attribute peer pressure, a desire for independence and risk-taking behaviors to further increase the danger among these var young riders.
..... A National Library of Medicine study found hat the age group most commonly affected by e-bike injuries - more than 44% -was between the ages of 10 and 13. Across the country, e-bike injuries surged 293% form 2019 to 2022, according to a Columbia University study.
..... Protective gear, other than helmets, is rarely worn, further compounding the severity of injuries in collisions and falls, consequently, our pediatric emergency rooms are regularly reporting broken limbs, facial and skull fractures, brain bleed and internal organ trauma.

We need better e-bike regulation

..... There is an obvious and urgent need for greater awareness of these motorized devices, stricter regulations for their sue, and more parental guidance to help ensure safety.
..... It is encouraging to see some town councils in New Jersey take steps to regulate motorized vehicle use for children, with their own local ordinances designed to protect children.
..... But the solution is New Jersey cannot just be a patchwork of inconsistent municipal laws. Similar to the state's mandatory requirement for motorists to wear seat belts and children to wear bike helmets, there needs to be a consistent, uniform law across New Jersey that regulates e-bikes and e-scooters.
..... The county Prosecutors Association for New Jersey echoes our concern, calling for mandatory levels of safety equipment and nonoperational protocols.
..... "To be effective and best promote operation safety, New Jersey police agencies need more refinement in extolling laws and the addition a of e-bike specific requirements that will enable effective enforcement and especially protect youthful e-bike operations," the association said in a recent statement.
..... It is time for the state Legislature to hold bipartisan hearings this fall on traffic laws as the first step toward creating legislation that will regulated thees motorized vehicles across New Jersey. Families need to understand that these electric wheeled devices tend to ride quietly, adding ho their danger when motorists can't hear them approaching.
..... New Jersey's licensed drivers - especially teenagers who are still learning - also need to be educated about the prevalence of e-bikes and e-scooters, recognizing that the operators are likely to be very young and inexperienced.
..... A state law must include a comprehensive educational component, in which parents and young riders can fully understand the dangers. E-bikes can often travel up to 30 mph, and, with e-scooters, require balance and dexterity at high speeds.
..... A crash - with or without a helmet - can have devastating effects, as those who live in Scotch Plains [NJ] - or have heard of Nico's story - can attest.
..... We also need to closely examine if the licensing and registration of e-bikes and powered e-scooters can enhance safety.
..... It is encouraging to see the attention this issue has already received. in early September, [2025] for example, Representative Josh Gottheimer, the Bergen County Democrat, announced federal efforts to create e-bike safety plans and increase public awareness around safe riding practices. The announcement followed the August [2025] death few a 14-year-old boy in Summers Point [NJ} who was ring an e-bike and hit a car, and other children from Westfield and Montivale suffered severe injuries this summer [2025] while riding e-bikes.
..... New Jersey is at a critical moment, balancing the popularity around convenience of these motorized deices with the need for stronger safety dedication, parental supervision, municipal action and state legislation to drastically reduce these dangers.
..... Together let's work to end the heartbreak.

..... Andre Cagginano is president of the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police.

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