E-bike dangers

This Saturday while driving home on Mendenhall Loop Road I recorded on my dashcam a young person on his e-bike dashing across the road in front of oncoming traffic. He was using the crosswalk at the traffic circle but did not activate the caution light, he just blasted across the road. He then continued down on the bike path/sidewalk at 35 mph which was the same speed I was driving.

E-bikes that can travel at 35 mph are classified as motorcycles or mopeds, and require a full license and registration. I see this misuse of e-bikes way too often. It is also illegal for these higher power bikes to be used by kids with no license or training. It will only be a matter of time until we will be reading about a tragedy involving a kid seriously injured or killed.

I would strongly suggest that our police department start to issue some PSA’s about these e-bikes addressing safety and regulations. I also wonder if the parents, who supply these e-bikes to kids who get injured or injure someone else, would ever be held criminally liable for these injuries as we have seen happen with firearms given to kids.

Scott Novak

Juneau