Kids keep getting hurt and killed on e-bikes. Should parents be held responsible?
- A California prosecutor is pursuing criminal charges against some parents of young e-bike riders as injuries and deaths rise among children involved in crashes on e-bikes and other electrified vehicles.
- Officials in several places are responding with different rules, including New York City warnings to online retailers over illegal products sold as e-bikes and new New Jersey requirements for riders to be at least 15 and to have a license and vehicle registration.
- Cycling advocates say some regulations may be too broad and could lump low-powered e-bikes together with faster motorized bikes.
- Researchers and doctors say e-bike injuries are often more severe than traditional bicycle injuries and that children are especially affected, with many patients being younger and unhelmeted.
As injuries and deaths among children in e-bike crashes continue to rise, officials are weighing whether parents should bear more responsibility. In California, one prosecutor is trying a criminal approach by charging some parents of young riders.
The article says cities and states are responding unevenly. New York City has warned online retailers about products marketed as e-bikes that are not street legal, while New Jersey has adopted rules requiring riders to be at least 15 and to have a license and vehicle registration.
Cycling advocates caution that the response may be too broad and could stigmatize lower-powered e-bikes rather than faster motorized vehicles. Researchers and doctors cited in the report say injuries from e-bikes tend to be more severe than those from traditional bicycles, and that children are disproportionately affected.
孩子在电动自行车上受伤和死亡不断增加，父母是否应承担责任？
随着儿童在电动自行车事故中的受伤和死亡持续增加，相关部门正讨论父母是否应承担更多责任。加州一名检察官已开始采取刑事追责方式，对部分未成年骑手的父母提出指控。
报道指出，各地的应对措施并不一致。纽约市已就一些被宣传为电动自行车、但并不符合上路标准的产品向线上零售商发出警告；新泽西州则规定骑手必须年满15岁，并持有驾照和车辆登记。
自行车倡导者警告说，现有应对可能过于宽泛，容易把低功率电动自行车与更高速的电动摩托混为一谈。报道援引的研究人员和医生表示，电动自行车事故造成的伤势往往比传统自行车更重，儿童受到的影响尤为突出。