A sidewalk no longer feels safe

Casually strolling with my dog on the sidewalks in my Newport Beach neighborhood used to be one of the few places I did not worry about being run down by an electric-powered vehicle. But that is now a distant memory.

Recently, I was walking on the public sidewalk in front of my home when I was knocked down by one of a group of roughly seven kids riding e-bikes. They were students from Corona del Mar High School; some carried backpacks displaying the school’s insignia.

What happened next disturbed me more than being hit. They looked back, saw me on the ground and laughed at and mocked me. One rider even circled back and performed a wheelie near me before rejoining the group and riding away.

I was not seriously hurt, but I did go to urgent care and was treated for a minor injury to my left shoulder. But they had no idea of the extent of my injuries when they left me on the ground alone with my dog, Buda.

A tragedy that should open our eyes

Eighty-one-year-old Ed Ashman was not as lucky. In April, Ashman, a Vietnam veteran and substitute teacher, was struck near El Toro High School in Lake Forest, California, by a 14-year-old riding a high-powered electric motorcycle. Prosecutors say the teenager had been doing wheelies. Ashman suffered catastrophic injuries and later died. The rider’s mother was subsequently charged with involuntary manslaughter.

That tragedy should end any illusion that this is simply about kids having fun on bicycles. We have essentially given children machines approaching the weight and speed once associated with small mopeds and motorcycles.

The statistics are sobering

A national study of U.S. emergency departments estimated 45,845 e-bike-related injuries between 2013 and 2022. The estimated number increased from 2,171 in 2019 to 23,749 in 2022, and 10.9% of injured patients required hospitalization. For youth, middle-school and high-school age groups, the head was the most commonly injured body part.

California is seeing the same alarming trend. A 2026 UC San Diego study found that reported California e-bike injury collisions rose from just two in 2018 to more than 1,500 in 2024. Researchers also found that injured e-bike riders were more likely than traditional bicyclists to be children 14 and younger and to suffer moderate-to-severe injuries.

Rules can help. Parents matter more.

Newport Beach has responded. Effective January 2026, city rules require riders of e-bikes and other motorized devices to travel at reasonable speeds, yield to pedestrians and use bicycle lanes where required. The ordinance specifically prohibits dangerous behavior including weaving through pedestrians, distracted riding and performing wheelies.

But nothing can replace a parent educating a child and holding that child responsible.

If you buy a powerful electric vehicle for your child, you have a responsibility to know what that machine can do and how your child is using it. And when those rules are ignored, there should be consequences, including taking the bike away.

The lesson begins at home

This is not an argument against e-bikes. They can be useful, efficient and fun, and give teenagers independence. But independence without responsibility can lead to disaster for both the rider and the pedestrian.

We can pass more ordinances. Schools can require safety classes. Police can increase enforcement. Cities can build better bike lanes. All of those things can help. But none can replace the impact of a parent.

The most important e-bike safety lesson won’t come from a police officer or a school assembly. It needs to happen at the kitchen table, before a child ever leaves the driveway.

Because the next pedestrian knocked to the pavement may not get back up.

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