U.S. sales of e-bikes have more than tripled over the past five years, according to a report published in the Wall Street Journal. Teens are increasingly choosing e-bikes over cars due to affordability and convenience, as well as environmental reasons, and there’s been a decline in teen driver’s licenses–down 8% over the past two decades–in part due to the adoption of e-bikes.

With that change in e-bike popularity and usage have come challenges for safety and the need for more law enforcement involvement. So two members of the South Jordan Police Department spoke with the media at an event at Hangar 15 Bicycles to address those challenges as the new school year is set to begin.

“There’s a lot of confusion related to e-bikes, scooters, and more importantly, electric motorcycles,” Sgt. Eric Anderson said. “We’re seeing a lot of property damage from people riding some of these bikes off the road. We’ve seen multiple injuries, including one this past week when someone was hit on the Jordan River Trail. We want people to ride safely, treat e-bikes like a regular bicycle to yield to pedestrians and ride in a manner that doesn’t injure people or damage property.”

Anderson said there are three categories of e-bikes, showing examples of all three during the press event. Classes 1 and 2, which look very similar, have working pedals and can’t exceed 20 miles per hour. No one under the age of 8 can legally ride those bikes, and if you are 14 and under, the rider has to have a parent monitor or supervise them. Class 3 e-bikes are larger and more powerful, with the ability to go up to 28 miles per hour. They are also pedal-assisted, and no one under age 16 can ride them. You are also legally required to wear a helmet on a class 3 e-bike if you’re under age 21.

“Of course, we recommend that anyone riding an e-bike of any kind should always wear a helmet,” Anderson said.

There have been incidents where an e-bike has hit a motorist as well, with the rider subject to paying for damages. Anderson also referred to the increased usage of electric motorcycles, sometimes confused as e-bikes but clearly different.

“We see a lot of these, and they are illegal to ride on sidewalks and trails,” he said. “If it looks like a motorcycle and has pegs instead of pedals and exceeds 28 mph, it’s probably an electric motorcycle. Those have to be registered, insured and the driver needs to have a license. They can be ridden on trails in the mountains, but not in parks or like the Jordan River Trail.”

He said parents need to pay attention to what they’re purchasing for their kids, and understand the rules and laws associated with those particular bikes. “Otherwise, it could result in injury or even some sort of legal action,” he said. Bicycle dealers can help customers distinguish between the three classes of e-bikes and the electronic motorcycles.

Sgt. Mark Squire also spoke at the event, talking about legal ramifications for e-bikes, scooters and electronic motorcycles that are used improperly.

“In very extreme cases, there could be arrests that are made if someone ends up injuring another person,” he said. “It's comparable to riding a motorcycle recklessly. The motorization of a bike and someone not building a skill set and having the capability to ride very quickly is what we’re seeing as getting people in trouble. Where they’re riding e-bikes well beyond what their capabilities are on public streets, sidewalks and areas where there’s more pedestrian traffic as opposed to going out on a trail.”

He said many of these e-bikes are very quiet and can come up from behind someone with them being unaware. 

“Pedestrians need to know that even if they have the right of way, it’s best to check and stay cautious when walking around these e-bikes,” he said. “They are heavier now that they have a motor and a battery, so you’d have a larger or heavier device potentially hitting a pedestrian or a car.”

Anderson added, “I would suggest parents reach out to their local police department and just talk to an officer if they have questions. They are well versed in all the rules and laws associated with electric bikes, scooters and e-motorcycles.”