NORTH CANTON, Ohio — North Canton Police are cracking down on people driving recklessly on e-motorbikes and e-bikes after several crashes have been reported in the past year.
Earlier this month, GoPro footage captured a 12-year-old boy driving an e-motorbike. As he crossed a North Canton intersection, he was struck by a vehicle that had the right of way, police said. Luckily, the child was not seriously injured.
"Any parent who watches that, you're just going to get sick to your stomach because that could be my child," Major Matthew Buzzard with North Canton Police said.
Gavin Poston, who is also 12 years old, said he knows other kids who ride e-motorbikes.
"I have friends who ride them and I think that they could be dangerous to people around you and yourself," Poston said.
North Canton Police said e-motorbikes have become a bigger problem in recent months, and the vehicles not allowed on city streets or sidewalks. There have been three crashes involving children riding the bikes over the past year.
One crash happened when a boy crashed into a telephone pole and was injured.
"I've have a lot of residents, more of the older community, but also at parks, a lot of moms with their children just bringing up a lot of the fact that they see these kids and they just feel that what they're doing is more on the reckless side," Bike Patrol Officer Spencer Dzubara said.
As a result of the crashes, North Canton Police are cracking down and will be looking for e-motorbike violators, stressing that it is more about safety than punishment.
"As more and more of these pop up, we want to be proactive and prevent any further injuries," Buzzard said.
Buzzard said the crackdown will mostly educational in nature. However, violators could also face citations and possibly have their bike impounded.
According to Buzzard, there are also concerns surrounding the less powerful e-bikes, which are permitted on city streets and sidewalks. He said the motor has to be off and disengaged while on sidewalks.
"A lot of what we're seeing is people with their motor on and they're going down the sidewalk at 10 to 15 miles an hour. We got to watch out for the walking public. We are a very active community," Buzzard said.
Michelle Poston, a mother, said she understands the need for more enforcement.
"If they're ridden the right way, that's fine, but when they're being not ridden the right way in the city, I feel like it's dangerous to other people," Poston said.
North Canton is not the only city cracking down on e-bikes. Earlier this month, lawmakers in Avon Lake recognized a gray area in their traffic laws regarding e-bikes.
RELATED: Avon Lake addresses rise in popularity of e-bikes with new regulations
After a few close calls and complaints from pedestrians, the city declared that e-bike riders must use pedal power on sidewalks, and certain classes of e-bikes are now subject to speed limits on roads.
Avon Lake, along with the Village of Perry, also has age limits for certain e-bikes. Riders must be at least 16 years old to ride some of the faster bikes.
