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Oregon Advocate Wants To Make Sure Kids On Bikes Aren't The Next News Headline

The modifications would likely make popping wheelies a little more dangerous than what I remember from growing up.

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Red Mountain Bike On Red Background

This, but with a motor.

When most people think of motorized outlaws, they usually don’t think of children on bicycles. I will also wager that most people haven’t been to Portland. The young cyclists — throttle kids in the common parlance — are just trying to get to and from their destinations. I am happy to know that kids are out cycling; it is a favorite pastime of mine and I’m glad that kids are experiencing the wind at their scalps. I’m more partial to powering the vehicle with my own horsepower, but I’m not a Luddite when it comes to technological advancement. That said, it is fair game to think about the safety of the riders and those around them — ideally before people get hurt.

Even in states like Oregon, where it’s illegal to ride an e-bike under 16 years old, there are no ordinances or fines for police to cite, making enforcement more or less impossible. In a practical sense, if teens are riding responsibly, there’s not actually a problem to “fix” here. But the teens who are handed an e-bike are not necessarily also trained how to ride in an urban environment, which means someone’s going to get hurt.

All it’s going to take to have this conversation explode is a teen hitting a baby stroller or a senior citizen, or just as bad, hitting a fixed object like a pole or parked car. Crashes like this unfortunately happen with non-electric bikes every year, but if it happens with someone who is under age riding an e-bike, the media frenzy would be harsh. We could see overly restrictive laws passed, police changing their enforcement stance, and a general public backlash that sets bike advocacy back decades. As always, it’s best to get ahead of the issue and create these laws in advance, and not in reaction to a tragedy.

It is refreshing to see someone recognize a likely threat to children’s safety and advocate for legal protections before tragedy strikes. The author goes on to advocate for two things — copy and pasting Washington’s laws regarding e-bikes and better educating children about the merits and dangers of e-bikes. Better informed children usually make better decisions, and I’m thankful that there are responsible adults who want them to flourish in a legal environment that supports their safety, along with the safety of others. Hopefully the throttle kids are wearing helmets too!

Now, if only someone were to care this much about JR-15s. Still blows my mind that this is a thing.

Dawn Of The ‘Throttle Kids’ [Bike Portland]

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Chris Williams became a social media manager and assistant editor for Above the Law in June 2021. Prior to joining the staff, he moonlighted as a minor Memelord™ in the Facebook group Law School Memes for Edgy T14s.  He endured Missouri long enough to graduate from Washington University in St. Louis School of Law. He is a former boatbuilder who cannot swim, a published author on critical race theory, philosophy, and humor, and has a love for cycling that occasionally annoys his peers. You can reach him by email at cwilliams@abovethelaw.com and by tweet at @WritesForRent.

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