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Are electric bikes fully legal where you are? Limited tryout areas are dotted around my country. Expect fatal and semi-fatal incidents to follow exponentially;

Are electric bikes fully legal where you are? Limited tryout areas are dotted around my country. Expect fatal and semi-fatal incidents to follow exponentially; before helmets, fines, and licences catch up.

deleted 3y ago
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vladvasiliu 3y ago
What do you mean by "fully"? Here in France, you may ride an electric assistance bike that cuts off at 25 kmph as if it were a normal bike. No license, helmet, or insurance required. You may also ride on bike paths. Just like a regular old-fashioned bike. For bikes with assistance above that, you need a license, the "light motorcycle" or whatever it's called. Also, insurance, helmet, and gloves, just for any "real" motorbike. These things cost as much as a full-on motorcycle, so I don't know who buys them. Anyway, I haven't heard of any increase in injuries or fatalities related to the uptake of electrical bikes that doesn't seem linked to the overall increase in cycling since covid.
- IndySun 3y ago
  In England, quite rightly, there are trial areas, to begin with. Cautious is the approach, until it makes safety sense. https://www.gov.uk/guidance/e-scooter-trials-guidance-for-users#trial-areas https://www.gov.uk/guidance/e-scooter-trials-guidance-for-us...
  - vladvasiliu 3y ago
    That link talks about e-scooters, I was talking about electric bicycles. Is there a similar regulation for those? I have a friend living in London and I don't recall him saying anything about bikes, but did say personal e-scooters were illegal at the time. In reply to your other comment, I'm not surprised riders of e-scooters have more injuries. Those things are extremely unstable and have next to no brakes. Quite different from bikes, which have better handling characteristics. Also, the kinds of e-bikes that don't require a license in France only go faster then a regular bike when going uphill. On flat terrain, they're similar. So I don't see why there would be more injuries per mile traveled. The ones that have assistance to a higher speed are a different thing, and expect to see the same kind of injuries as for mopeds.
- IndySun 3y ago
  https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/reported-road-casualties-great-britain-e-scooter-factsheet-2021/reported-road-casualties-great-britain-e-scooter-factsheet-2021 https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/reported-road-casua... Increases. And many more to come. Accident damage caused to riders of motorbikes is overwhelmingly more severe than car drivers. We can confidently presume similar ratio of e-scooters, especially as more often than not helmets and body protection is rarely worn. Nothing out of the ordinary saying or seeing this.
seanmcdirmid 3y ago
They've been a major thing in China for almost 15 years now. And none of that panned out (compared to the alternatives).

deleted 3y ago

[deleted]

vladvasiliu 3y ago

What do you mean by "fully"? Here in France, you may ride an electric assistance bike that cuts off at 25 kmph as if it were a normal bike. No license, helmet, or insurance required. You may also ride on bike paths. Just like a regular old-fashioned bike. For bikes with assistance above that, you need a license, the "light motorcycle" or whatever it's called. Also, insurance, helmet, and gloves, just for any "real" motorbike. These things cost as much as a full-on motorcycle, so I don't know who buys them. Anyway, I haven't heard of any increase in injuries or fatalities related to the uptake of electrical bikes that doesn't seem linked to the overall increase in cycling since covid.

IndySun 3y ago
In England, quite rightly, there are trial areas, to begin with. Cautious is the approach, until it makes safety sense. https://www.gov.uk/guidance/e-scooter-trials-guidance-for-users#trial-areas https://www.gov.uk/guidance/e-scooter-trials-guidance-for-us...
- vladvasiliu 3y ago
  That link talks about e-scooters, I was talking about electric bicycles. Is there a similar regulation for those? I have a friend living in London and I don't recall him saying anything about bikes, but did say personal e-scooters were illegal at the time. In reply to your other comment, I'm not surprised riders of e-scooters have more injuries. Those things are extremely unstable and have next to no brakes. Quite different from bikes, which have better handling characteristics. Also, the kinds of e-bikes that don't require a license in France only go faster then a regular bike when going uphill. On flat terrain, they're similar. So I don't see why there would be more injuries per mile traveled. The ones that have assistance to a higher speed are a different thing, and expect to see the same kind of injuries as for mopeds.
IndySun 3y ago
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/reported-road-casualties-great-britain-e-scooter-factsheet-2021/reported-road-casualties-great-britain-e-scooter-factsheet-2021 https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/reported-road-casua... Increases. And many more to come. Accident damage caused to riders of motorbikes is overwhelmingly more severe than car drivers. We can confidently presume similar ratio of e-scooters, especially as more often than not helmets and body protection is rarely worn. Nothing out of the ordinary saying or seeing this.

seanmcdirmid 3y ago

They've been a major thing in China for almost 15 years now. And none of that panned out (compared to the alternatives).