A police department in Indiana is asking parents to talk to their children about e-bike safety after a growing number of complaints and accidents involving teens riding recklessly around the city.
Residents of Fishers, Indiana, say they’re increasingly encountering young riders zipping through trails, sidewalks and city roads, often at high speeds and without warning.
“You don’t hear them and then suddenly they’re there,” said Fishers trail user Peggy, who recently had a close call with a fast-moving e-bike. “I was coming through the tunnel, and an e-bike came by quite fast. They do go fast, they’re nice. And it was so quiet that both he and I jumped.”
Chris Carr, who owns a local bike shop, said the problem is less about the bikes themselves and more about how they’re being used.
“What I’m seeing with that younger generation is they’re not buying the bikes to ride,” Carr said. “Since it’s more throttle-based, it’s more like a moped or dirt bike. Not a lot of people actually know how to handle a bike over 20 miles an hour.”
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Fishers Police said they’ve received multiple reports of teens not only causing accidents but also yelling at drivers and pedestrians. Officers are encouraging parents to remind their children to ride safely and be respectful of others using the city’s greenways and trails.
“These accidents, when they happen on these greenways, trailways — whatever you want to call them — they can be bad injuries,” Carr said.
Carr added that courtesy and awareness go a long way toward preventing crashes.
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“The biggest thing is just being courteous regardless of any situation,” he said. “Especially of late, with the kids almost just taking over the trail, not being respectful, not saying, ‘On your left.’ The more cautious they can be, it’s not only safer for them, but safer for the people around them.”
Residents like Peggy hope better education will lead to safer paths for everyone.
“A lot of bikers do that on regular paths, so it’s not a bad idea for the e-bikers to say that as well,” she said.
Carr agrees that outreach and education could make a major difference.
“The more education, the clearer we can be with rules and expectations of users, the more than likely the safer we can all be and enjoy the trails injury-free,” he said.
This article was written by Griffin Gonzalez for the Scripps News Group in Indianapolis.
