A number of police departments in the Lehigh Valley are urging residents to be careful on electric bikes or scooters after recent accidents in the region.
There have been four fatal accidents involving e-bikes and scooters in Lehigh County so far this year, according to Coroner Daniel A. Buglio. Three of those involved an electric scooter, and one involved an e-bike. There also was a fatal crash in Northampton County.
An e-bike is a bike with electric assist and can reach speeds up to 20 mph on a level surface powered by the motor, according to PennDOT. All laws for bicycles in Pennsylvania apply to e-bikes. Motorized scooters are two-wheeled vehicles powered by an engine or electric motor that does not have a seat or saddle. PennDOT said the vehicles do not comply with equipment standards and inspection, and cannot be used on Pennsylvania roads or sidewalks.
Several Lehigh Valley police departments having reported e-bike activity in recent months, including Alburtis, Allentown, Bethlehem, Bushkill, Salisbury, Whitehall, Wilson and Upper Macungie police departments.
In an alert last month, Salisbury Township police reported two vehicle crashes involving electric bikes and scooters in which juveniles were injured.
“We are asking parents to step in now — before we face the heartbreak of losing a child in our community,” the department said in a statement. “Please play close attention to when and where your children are riding electric bikes and scooters.”
Salisbury police Sgt. Bryan Losagio said the department has gotten a number of complaints and “close calls,” and that people are using e-bikes and e-scooters at all times of the day and night.
Additionally, he said, they are on residential and state highways such as Emmaus Avenue, Susquehanna Street and Broadway.
Whitehall Township police said there were two recent incidents involving juveniles on e-bikes in parks and recreation areas, and charges were filed in both.
“E-bikes come with responsibilities. Reckless riding, excessive speed, riding in an unsafe manner, or putting pedestrians, motorists, and other riders at risk can have serious consequences,” the department said.
Bushkill police, ahead of the summer, urged caution with e-bikes. The department said e-bikes can operate on roads and bike lanes, as well as trails where bikes are allowed.
“While e-bikes are a great way to get around, unfortunately, officers have observed a rise in unsafe behavior, including riders not wearing helmets, riding where prohibited, operating recklessly, operating in and out of traffic, riding at night without lights, and carrying multiple riders on a single device,” Bushkill police said in a statement in April. “These actions significantly increase the risk of serious injury, especially for juveniles who may lack the experience of safely navigating roadways.”
There have been five fatal accidents in the Lehigh Valley involving e-bikes or scooters in recent months.
A Bethlehem man riding a motor scooter died after losing control in mid-May in Allentown. A few weeks later, an Alburtis man died from blunt injuries after falling from an e-bike in the borough.
An Allentown man riding a scooter died after it crashed with a vehicle in July. About a week later, an Allentown teenager died after crashing his gas-powered scooter. He was trying to clear a creek embankment, but instead crashed head-on.
There have been seven crashes involving e-bikes in Bethlehem between June and May, according to the city police department.