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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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<\/a> the vehicles do not comply with equipment standards and inspection, and cannot be used on Pennsylvania roads or sidewalks.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n In an alert last\u00a0 month, Salisbury Township police reported two vehicle crashes involving electric bikes and scooters in which juveniles were injured.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are asking parents to step in now \u2014 before we face the heartbreak of losing a child in our community,\u201d the department said in a statement. \u201cPlease play close attention to when and where your children are riding electric bikes and scooters.\u201d<\/p>\n Salisbury police Sgt. Bryan Losagio said the department has gotten a number of complaints and \u201cclose calls,\u201d and that people are using e-bikes and e-scooters at all times of the day and night.<\/p>\n Additionally, he said, they are on residential and state highways such as Emmaus Avenue, Susquehanna Street and Broadway.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n \u201cE-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,\u201d the department said.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n \u201cWhile 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,\u201d Bushkill police said in a statement in April. \u201cThese actions significantly increase the risk of serious injury, especially for juveniles who may lack the experience of safely navigating roadways.\u201d<\/p>\n There have been five fatal accidents in the Lehigh Valley involving e-bikes or scooters in recent months.<\/p>\n A Bethlehem man riding a motor scooter died after losing control in mid-May in Allentown<\/a>. A few weeks later, an Alburtis man died from blunt injuries after falling from an e-bike in the borough.<\/a><\/p>\n 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.<\/a>\u00a0He was trying to clear a creek embankment, but instead crashed head-on.<\/p>\n