The Orange County District Attorney on Wednesday announced the creation of a specialized prosecution unit aimed at addressing the growing number of deaths and injuries linked to illegal e-bike and e-motorcycle use, particularly among children.
The new unit, called RIDE SAFELY (Smart Accountability for e-bikes and e-motos and Law Enforcement for Youth) will review potential criminal cases involving juveniles, adults and parents who knowingly allow children to ride illegal e-motorcycles.
“The death and devastation caused by e-bikes and e-motorcycles has reached epidemic levels, and we as elected officials must do everything we can to save lives,” Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said in a statement.
According to the Orange County District Attorney’s Office, more than 100 deaths nationwide have been linked to e-bikes and e-motorcycles. At the same time, injuries in Southern California have increased 430% over the last four years.
Data from the California Statewide Integrated Traffic Record System shows children ages 11 to 14 accounted for 61.7% of e-motorcycle crashes, despite California law prohibiting riders younger than 16 from operating e-motorcycles.
Amazon says they are halting the sales of some e-bikes in California. John Cádiz Klemack reports for the NBC4 News at 6 a.m. on May 11, 2026.
Since January, prosecutors have filed child endangerment charges against three parents accused of allowing their children to ride e-motorcycles illegally.
In one recent case, prosecutors charged a mother with involuntary manslaughter after her teenage son allegedly struck and killed an 81-year-old Vietnam veteran in Lake Forest while riding an illegal e-motorcycle. If convicted, she faces up to seven years and eight months in state prison.
In another case, prosecutors filed felony charges against a Yorba Linda father after his 12-year-old son was critically injured when he allegedly ran a red light and was struck by a car while riding an e-motorcycle modified to reach speeds of up to 60 mph. The father faces up to six years in prison if convicted on all counts.
“If parents refuse to hold their children accountable, then I am going to hold parents accountable when they knowingly break the law,” Spitzer added. “These vehicles are not child play, and we are going to protect Orange County streets one prosecution at a time.”
Under California law, electric bicycles are classified based on motor power, maximum speed and whether they have operable pedals. Vehicles that exceed 750 watts of power, travel faster than 20 mph using motor power alone, or do not have fully operable pedals are generally considered e-motorcycles rather than e-bikes.
On April 14, California Attorney General Rob Bonta issued a consumer alert to retailers, parents and manufacturers regarding safety laws, the sale, and use of e-bikes.
“Two-wheeled vehicles that go over 28 miles per hour with pedal assistance or 20 miles per hour with throttle assistance are not e-bikes — under California law, they are mopeds or motorcycles and require additional licensing and age requirements to operate and sell”, said Bonta.
Last week, Amazon also announced it would stop selling e-bikes in California.
The RIDE SAFELY unit will include prosecutors from the district attorney’s Juvenile Justice, Community Outreach and Family Protection unit who will work with law enforcement agencies and review cases involving e-bikes and e-motorcycles to determine whether criminal charges are warranted.