ORLANDO, Fla. \u2013 MetroPlan Orlando is working to start a pilot program to give middle and high school students free e-bike safety training, responding to growing community concern about collisions and risky riding behavior.<\/p>\n
Parents say e-bikes offer convenience but can be dangerous, especially when teenagers ride to and from school.<\/p>\n
\u201cBeing so close to the school, we live like a mile away, it\u2019s very convenient,\u201d parent Thomas Meno said.<\/p>\n
[VIDEO: DeLand police seek e-bike ban on downtown sidewalks]<\/p>\n
Meno, a local nurse, said he is honest with his daughter about how dangerous they can be.<\/p>\n
\u201cSeeing patients come in with traumatic injuries being hit by vehicles, it was really very important for me as a parent and try to share those stories with her so that it would really stick and resonate with her,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Dad Marlon Haynes, who is an avid e-bike rider himself, is also strict on safety with his children.<\/p>\n
\u201cI try to teach them the rules,\u201d he said. \u201cThey cannot go riding without the DOT-certified helmet.\u201d<\/p>\n
[VIDEO: \u2018I just worry about them:\u2019 New rules for e-bikes, scooters eyed in Central Florida]<\/p>\n
To get more children educated on the rules of the road and how to safely use electric vehicles, MetroPlan Orlando is hoping to use an existing online course from the American Bicycling Education Association and work with local school boards on a pilot program.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s about twenty hour-long video modules and it is geared specifically toward teen e-bike Riders,\u201d MetroPlan Orlando Senior Transportation Planner Mighk Wilson said. \u201cWe are going to be purchasing coupons, if you will, of the online course for up to our 500 students in Orange, Osceola and Seminole. We\u2019re working with the school boards to pick schools for a pilot of this.\u201d<\/p>\n
The program would teach students the rules of the road, how to safely use the bikes, how to ride together and how to avoid crashes.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe faster you go, the more you\u2019re going to need defensive driving strategies as a bicyclist. Because if somebody cuts you off, you need more time and distance to stop and then you\u2019re going to be behind the wheel in a few years anyway. So better to get familiar with those rules of movement and how other drivers make mistakes before you get behind the wheel of a big motor vehicle,\u201d Wilson said.<\/p>\n
The pilot, which will include pre and post surveys, is expected to begin in the next few months, with the hope of reporting the findings to the school boards by June.<\/p>\n
Parents like Haynes are excited for it to get rolling.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a vehicle. You can get 20 miles per hour, 50 miles per hour. You can get hurt. You can get seriously hurt. So I think that\u2019s an excellent idea for the schools to develop those programs,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
[VIDEO: Ask Trooper Steve: What are the rules for e-bikes in Florida?]<\/p>\n