Officials in a California county may soon be able to ban their youngest residents from using e-bikes, an effort that comes amid a sharp rise in electric bicycle injuries in recent years in the Golden State.
California State Sen. Josh Becker, whose district includes a swath of San Mateo County, said existing law allows jurisdictions to regulate the use of e-bikes. However, it doesn’t “allow local governments to enact stronger age-based restrictions without specific authorizing legislation,” as Assembly Bill 2595, the San Mateo Electric Bicycle Safety Pilot Program, did, which made a step forward when it passed in the California Senate on Monday, Aug. 17, according to CalMatters’ Digital Democracy database.
The bill would allow San Mateo County
and its cities to adopt an ordinance banning children under 12 from riding e-bikes, according to Becker. It comes as a study by researchers, including those from UC San Diego, found that a “significant number” of e-bike injuries occurred among riders 14 or younger, with that number rising annually, based on an analysis of several years of California Highway Patrol Statewide Integrated Traffic Records Systems data.
The possible San Mateo Electric Bicycle Safety Pilot Program isn’t the state’s first. In 2024, legislators passed the San Diego Electric Bicycle Safety Pilot Program. Fast forward to August: the city of San Diego’s new e-bike regulations mean that a pedal bike is essentially the only bike approved for kids younger than 12, according to the city.
Officials target use of class 1, 2 e-bikes. What is that?
The San Mateo Electric Bicycle Safety Pilot Program allows local authorities within the county to ban children younger than 12 from operating class 1 or 2 e-bikes. According to the office of California Attorney General Rob Bonta and state code, that means:
- Class 1, also known as low-speed pedal-assisted e-bikes, are bikes equipped with a motor that provides assistance only while pedaling and only at speeds under 20 miles an hour.
- Class 2, also known as low-speed throttle-assisted e-bikes, are bikes equipped with a motor that can be used solely to propel the bike. However, it can’t provide assistance when a bike reaches 20 miles per hour.
AB 2595 gives cities and San Mateo County the authority to adopt an ordinance or resolution that leads to these restrictions. Sixty days after the ban takes effect, violators could be hit with a $25 fine.
Reports of injuries and deaths involving e-bikes have surfaced across California. At the end of July, a 21-year-old man died after — based on a preliminary investigation — he lost control of the e-bike, the Huntington Beach Police Department said.
Elsewhere in Southern California, e-bikes were involved in at least three deaths in 2024 and 2025, according to the Riverside County Coroner. The county said emergency room visits for e-bike-related accidents more than doubled from 494 in 2024 to 958 in 2025.
Also at play in California: A bill aims to require the California Department of Education, in consultation with the California Highway Patrol, to develop an e-bike safety and training program for students in grades 7-12.
Paris Barraza is a reporter covering Los Angeles and Southern California for the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at pbarraza@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Why some California kids could be banned from e-bikes
