Overview
- The Orange County district attorney, who unveiled the RIDE SAFELY unit Wednesday, will review illegal e‑bike and e‑motorcycle cases and can charge parents who allow underage riding.
- Amazon said it will stop selling models in California that exceed the state’s e‑bike caps of 28 mph for pedal‑assist and 20 mph for throttle, and it has begun removing noncompliant listings.
- Prosecutors have filed cases since January, including involuntary manslaughter against a mother after her 14‑year‑old allegedly killed an 81‑year‑old in Lake Forest and felony counts for a Yorba Linda father after a 60‑mph modification led to a critical crash.
- Officials report more than 100 deaths nationwide and a 430% jump in Southern California injuries over four years, with ages 11 to 14 making up 61.7% of e‑motorcycle crashes.
- Following Wednesday’s Huntington Beach symposium, police, schools, and state lawmakers are pushing education, enforcement guidance, and bills to require registration and lower speed limits on youth‑legal models.