OVIEDO, Fla. \u2013 With summer break approaching, the Oviedo Police Department is taking a proactive stance on e-bike safety \u2014 and they want kids and parents to know the rules before someone gets hurt.<\/p>\n
The department recently took to Facebook to address growing community concerns<\/a> about children riding e-mobility devices on roads and sidewalks, warning that reckless use \u201ccan lead to serious injury or death.\u201d<\/p>\n Chief Dale Coleman says the rapid rise in e-bike popularity has created new challenges for the community.<\/p>\n \u201cAs you know, there\u2019s been an explosion of e-bikes and different varieties of that, whether it\u2019s motorized scooters, one wheels and things of that nature,\u201d Coleman said. \u201cAnd really, our message is we want them to be safe.\u201d<\/p>\n One of the chief\u2019s biggest concerns is how quickly kids can cover ground \u2014 and the trouble that can follow.<\/p>\n \u201cThey can travel further. So, they can meet up with their friends. And a lot of times when that happens they get a little rambunctious, and they get out in the road and cause a traffic issue, or they get into on the sidewalk and block the sidewalk,\u201d Coleman said.<\/p>\n That concern became reality when Oviedo City Councilmember Jeff Boddiford says he witnessed a crash firsthand in his own neighborhood. He brought up the incident at a council meeting this week where a teenager and car collided in a crosswalk area. <\/p>\n \u201cNever lifted his head, didn\u2019t have the helmet, was on the sidewalk, and just went right into the side of that car and went right up on the hood,\u201d Boddiford said.<\/p>\n Boddiford says both the child and the driver were shaken up, but he worries the problem will only grow worse as summer arrives.<\/p>\n \u201cThe kids get these bikes and they\u2019re going out and they think they\u2019re indestructible,\u201d Boddiford said. \u201cI know we\u2019re coming into the summertime, there\u2019s going to be a lot of them out there.\u201d<\/p>\n Oviedo not alone in e-bike challenges<\/p>\n Oviedo isn\u2019t the only Central Florida city adjusting to the e-bike boom. In nearby Winter Springs, police say they have stopped dozens of kids on e-bikes<\/a> this school year alone.<\/p>\n Coleman says there are key legal distinctions riders need to understand.<\/p>\n \u201cIf it\u2019s a true e-bike, it\u2019s allowed on the sidewalk. But, you know, you have to understand that the pedestrians have right-of-way,\u201d Coleman said. \u201cThey also can ride in a roadway just like any other bicycle can.\u201d<\/p>\n He adds that not all electric rides fall under the same rules.<\/p>\n \u201cE-motorcycles are electric bikes without pedals. So, if they\u2019re not pedaling it, it\u2019s not legal anywhere on a public right-of-way,\u201d Coleman said.<\/p>\n Know the law: Not all e-bikes are created equal<\/p>\n