Following fatal crashes around the state, a New Jersey lawmaker is proposing tighter licensing and registration requirements for e-bikes.
State Senate President Nick Scutari on Wednesday said he will soon introduce legislation to address the rapid rise in the use of e-bikes.
The bill would require all but the slowest e-bikes to be licensed and insured.
“The dramatic increase in the use of e-bikes has created greater dangers for their operators, other motorists and pedestrians,” said Scutari, D-Union. “They are faster, more powerful and far more prevalent. We are in a new era of e-bike use that requires updated safety standards to help prevent accidents, injuries and fatalities.”
Scutari said current law requires mopeds and small motorcycles to be registered and insured when used on roadways.
“E-bikes, which many times can eclipse their speeds, have none of those requirements,” Scutari said.
On July 17, Jack Sullivan, a 14-year-old Egg Harbor Township boy who was riding an e-bike in Somers Point, was struck by a vehicle and killed. Other fatal incidents involving young e-bike riders have happened around the state.
Nationally, e-bike injuries rose by 293% from 2019 to 2022, according to federal data. An estimated 44% of the injuries were suffered by young people, officials said.
Scutari’s bill, which has yet to be introduced, would create a Class 4 category that covers anything that goes over 28 mph or 750 watts. It also would reclassify Class 1 electric bicycles to include throttle-assisted bikes with a maximum speed of 18 mph.
It would require the state Motor Vehicle Commission to create an electric bicycle registration and sticker system for class 2, 3 and 4 electric bicycles, and would prohibit people under 17 from operating any e-bike not classified as a class 1 low-speed electric bicycle, unless they were licensed under moped provisions.
Contact Wayne Parry:
609-272-7000
wparry@pressofac.com
X @WayneParryAC
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