E-bikes and electric motorcycles have exploded in popularity over the past few years, and for a lot of families they’ve become the modern version of the neighborhood dirt bike. But in Southern California, that popularity is now colliding with a growing list of serious crashes, and prosecutors in Orange County say they’ve reached a breaking point.
At a Seal Beach Rotary Club meeting this week, community members and law enforcement gathered to talk about a string of recent tragedies involving young riders on e-motorcycles. The discussion centered on accountability, specifically who is responsible when a minor is riding an illegal, unregistered electric motorcycle on public streets and someone gets hurt.
One of the people at that meeting was Stephanie Potter, a 72-year-old Seal Beach resident who was struck by a teenager riding a motorcycle back in March. She suffered a broken jaw and broken nose on impact, spent two weeks in the ICU, and another four weeks in rehabilitation. She’s since spoken publicly about the crash in hopes that it prevents another family from going through the same thing, according to NBC LA.
Potter’s crash isn’t an isolated incident. In April, 81-year-old Ed Ashman died after being struck by a teen rider in Lake Forest. Just a month later, a 13-year-old boy from Santa Ana was killed after crashing his motorcycle into a center median in Garden Grove. Those cases, among others, are part of why the Orange County District Attorney’s Office is shifting its approach.
Prosecutors Are Now Filing Charges Against Parents
According to the DA’s office, this year alone they’ve filed cases against four parents connected to their children’s illegal motorcycles, and more than 26 additional investigations are currently underway. Prosecutors say the shift comes down to a simple standard: if parents have been told about the dangers and legal issues involved and allow the riding to continue anyway, that crosses into criminal negligence.
It’s a notable change in tone. For years, these situations were often handled with warnings. Now, prosecutors say warnings alone haven’t been enough to slow down the number of serious injuries and deaths involving young riders on these bikes.
The Numbers Back Up the Concern
The timing of this crackdown lines up with new research. Earlier this month, UC San Diego published a study using statewide data on e-bike crashes, and the findings confirmed what a lot of Southern California communities have already been noticing firsthand: bike-related collisions in California have risen sharply since 2008, when the state saw only a small handful of reported incidents.
Our Take
E-bikes and e-motorcycles are genuinely fun, and it makes sense why kids gravitate toward them. But there’s a real gap between a kid cruising around the block and a teenager riding a full electric motorcycle on public streets without the training, licensing, or supervision that would normally come with a gas-powered version.
Parents are the ones who ultimately say yes or no to that first ride, and it sounds like Orange County prosecutors are done treating that decision as a gray area.