If you’ve spent any time near a middle school lately, you’ve probably noticed the parking lot looks less like a bike rack and more like a mini motorsports dealership. E-mopeds, e-motos, whatever your neighborhood is calling them this week, have become the two-wheeled vehicle of choice for kids everywhere. Most of the time it’s harmless fun. Then every so often you get a video like the one out of Champlin, and it’s a reminder that these things can go from zero to terrifying in about two seconds flat.
The footage, first reported by WCCO, shows two kids riding an e-moto together as they cut across Highway 169 during the 8 a.m. rush. A white pickup truck coming up the highway had to swerve hard to avoid hitting them. A Champlin police officer happened to be right there, already preparing to pull the kids over for riding on the shoulder, when they made the sudden turn into traffic instead.
Here’s the part that should make every parent’s stomach drop a little: the posted speed limit on that stretch of 169 is 55 mph. At that speed, a vehicle needs several hundred feet and a couple of seconds of reaction time just to come to a stop. Two kids on an e-moto do not fit neatly into that math, and this time it worked out only because the truck driver had good reflexes and a little bit of luck on their side.
What Happened After the Swerve
Once the danger passed, the responding officer guided the kids safely across the highway and called their parents to come get them.
Champlin Police Chief Glenn Schneider used the moment to educate the family on the rules of the road rather than simply hand out a citation, which honestly seems like the right call for a scare like this one.
Helmets, or the Lack Thereof
Neither kid was wearing a helmet at the time, though one was at least carrying one along for the ride, which is either a small win or a mixed signal depending on how you look at it.
Either way, a helmet in your backpack doesn’t do much for you mid-swerve.
A Growing Trend Cities Are Trying to Keep Up With
Chief Schneider noted that e-bikes and e-motos have exploded in popularity this year, and Minnesota cities are scrambling to catch up with rules for them.
E-motos operate more like small motorcycles than bicycles, and some cities are now requiring riders to have a license, registration, and insurance before taking them on public roads. Without those, the vehicles are limited to private property.
No Statewide Rule Yet
There is currently no single state law in Minnesota governing e-motos, which means the patchwork of city ordinances is likely to keep growing as these vehicles become more common on local roads.
The comments were largely on the truck driver’s side, noting that the kids were playing in traffic, not using the crosswalk properly, and not wearing helmets. Said one comment: “Thankfully the truck driver was able to avoid the kids just dangerously driving across traffic against a green light.”