There’s a new form of behind-the-wheel courses – police-led safety training for kids riding electric bicycles.
E-bikes have grown in popularity over the years as a way for children to get farther and around more quickly than a regular bike would take them, without needing a license to drive. While peddling, a bike rider can typically reach speeds of 12 to 14 mph; the e-bikes that many children are using can go 20 to 28 mph.
Some e-bikes do not even require their rider to use the pedals to reach those speeds.
In 2024, the Huntington Beach Police Department reported 147 e-bike crashes. As of June this year, the number of crashes has surpassed last year’s and is expected to reach more than 160, according to HBPD.
More than 50% of those crashes involved riders under the age of 18, and children have been left with concussions, fractured bones and serious trauma injuries. Since 2019, e-bike-related trauma injuries have increased by 1,500%, Children’s Hospital of Orange County officials report.
“We’re seeing very dangerous consequences of untrained, underage e-bike users,” Amy Frias, community educator for CHOC said during a press conference held Wednesday, June 25. “The surge in trauma cases really should be a wake-up call for parents.”
Reporting the most e-bike collisions in the county, HBPD has developed a new training program to reduce those numbers.
Believed to be the nation’s first police-led safety training for young e-bike riders, the 70-minute, behind-the-wheel style course is led by police instructors.
From braking techniques to prevention tactics, the children and their parents are guided through five hands-on stations designed to teach young riders about real road situations in a controlled environment. Parents are required to take the course alongside their children so they can reinforce safety training at home.
“We’re not looking for perfection,” Sgt. Mike Thomas, director of the training program launched last month, said. “We’re looking for progression. We want to see that they’re receptive to the training.”
So far, the training is mandatory only for riders who have received a ticket or citation, but is open and free to the public. Each student is graded by police instructors throughout the training, who will pass or fail them at the end of the stations.
“The mindset that the instructors have is that when that child walks away, do we feel that they can have the basic skills in order to safely operate an e-bike on the roadway,” Thomas said.
While the training remains optional, the pass/fail system encourages parents to make the final decision on whether their children can safely operate an e-bike on public roads.
Alysce Lagbao lives in Huntington Beach and said she decided to finally buy her son, Carter, an e-bike. Since most of his friends had one, she knew the purchase was inevitable, she said. The two attended the safety training together.
“It should be something that is almost like a requirement,” Lagbao said. “You get an e-bike, and they go fast and it’s dangerous and so much can happen. I think (training) starts at home, and to get the parents involved is very important.”
In the upcoming months, school districts in Huntington Beach will make the decision on whether to require students who park their e-bikes on campus to complete the training.
“I would love to see it mandatory,” Thomas said. “I don’t want to create any barriers for anyone to successful transportation, but I do want them to be able to do it safely.”
HBPD is also considering a separate training for those over the age of 50, who make up the second-largest collision group.
Parents and riders can find the information for the trainings on the HBPD website or social media pages. While there is no set schedule, the trainings will happen at least once a month at various public schools the rest of this summer.