Cape Coral police call ride dangerous after video shows 3 kids on 1 e-bike along Santa Barbara Blvd
CAPE CORAL, Fla. —
Cape Coral police are warning teens and parents about the dangers and legal violations of reckless e-bike use after a video showed three kids riding one e-bike along Santa Barbara Boulevard on Wednesday.
Drivers in Cape Coral are expressing outrage over the behavior. “I know, and these kids are reckless; somebody is going to get hurt or killed. That’s what’s going to happen,” Carmelo Sanfilippo, a Cape Coral resident, said.
The video, which shows the teens heading north toward Veterans Memorial Parkway, highlights actions that police say are both dangerous and illegal.
“It’s not considered a bicycle if it’s over 750W. The state of Florida considers it a motor vehicle, so it needs to be registered. The person riding it has to be licensed; they have to have a motorcycle endorsement, which a lot of these teenagers don’t have,” said Steven Klakowicz public affairs officer of the Cape Coral Police Department.
Klakowicz also explained that teens riding e-bikes are often committing multiple misdemeanors.
“Anybody on a bicycle, riding on the roadways has to obey all of the traffic control devices that a vehicle does. You can’t drive carelessly. You can only have one person on a bicycle designed for one person. So, our officers can certainly take action when they observe those violations,” he said.
Residents are calling for safer practices while acknowledging the need for kids to have fun. “If you’re doing something that you’re not supposed to, you know, you shouldn’t be doing that,” Alex Lockenbach, another Cape Coral resident, said.
Cape Coral police are addressing the issue by educating teens and parents. School resource officers are speaking to students about e-bike safety, and the department is hosting events to inform parents about the risks and regulations surrounding e-bikes.
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