By admin 
TUCSON, Ariz. (13 News) – A series of e-bike crashes in Arizona over the last month has highlighted a dangerous trend as riders and drivers navigate traffic laws.
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A car nearly hit two people on an e-bike in one incident. Another e-biker was seriously hurt after running a red light without a helmet. A man wearing a helmet was killed at Tanque Verde and Pantano when his e-bike crashed into a car.
“The e-bikes, they move — they’re very fast, and they’re very light, so people are getting on them with a sense of overconfidence and not being able to manage the speed,” said Sgt. Beau Wilson of the Tucson Police Department.
Wilson said many riders and drivers don’t know that in Arizona, e-bikes are subject to the same traffic laws as bikes. Riders can’t ride them on the sidewalk.
“I think that’s some of the problems we’re seeing. People are investing in these e-bikes, and they’re driving them around not realizing they are subject to laws, and it’s causing problems for them and the people around them,” Wilson said.
Arizona does not require a license and has no state age restriction for e-bikes. In Tucson, riders must be 16 to ride one. Under 18, riders must wear a helmet.
“Everybody on the road still needs to stop for stop signs; they still need to obey the speed limits; they still need to signal their turns,” Wilson said.
Liability concerns
Arizona doesn’t require an e-bike or e-scooter insurance policy, but riders who hurt someone while not following traffic laws could be liable.
Minors causing accidents can trigger parental liability. In California, a mother was arrested last month after her son hit and killed a Vietnam veteran.
“The victim’s an older man, a Vietnam veteran, who was killed, and it’s really tragic,” said Rory Safir, an injury and criminal defense lawyer.
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Safir said the legal questions are complex.
“Was it her choice that caused the deaths, or was it her child’s own reckless wheelies that caused it?” Safir said. “We’re gonna see more of these cases.”
In the California case, the bike the boy was riding was considered an electric motorcycle.
“It’s not a toy,” Safir said.
Motorcycle classification
In Arizona, e-bikes without pedals can be considered motorcycles. Drivers have to be 16 and have a license. In Gilbert, police arrested a woman last month after her teenager was hurt riding an electric motorcycle without a license.
“If the bike doesn’t have pedals and it’s more than 750 watts, then it’s gonna be considered a motorcycle,” Wilson said.
That means it has to be registered, insured, and have motorcycle endorsements. The same applies if the bike goes more than 28 miles per hour.
While assisted e-bikes are generally permitted on paved shared-use paths in Pima County, like the Loop, you must yield to pedestrians and drop to 10 mph when passing them.
Electric skateboards and scooters, which are actually defined as “Motorized Play Vehicles” in Tucson code, are not allowed on public sidewalks, roads, or paths in the city.
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