San Diego's new e-bike ordinance took effect Thursday, Aug. 13, banning children under 12 from riding Class 1 and Class 2 e-bikes citywide and making parents share liability for any citations. For La Jolla families, the timing coincides with alarming new research from their own backyard and a criminal crackdown on parents in a neighboring county.
UC San Diego School of Medicine researchers, based in La Jolla, published a study on July 17 in the journal Trauma Surgery and Acute Care Open documenting the scale of the problem. Led by Dr. John Austin, a general surgery resident and research fellow, the study found e-bike collisions in California rose from two in 2018 to 1,506 in 2024. The analysis covered 4,035 e-bike collisions and 58,332 traditional bicycle crashes, making it one of the largest statewide studies to date.
E-bike riders were more likely to suffer moderate-to-severe injuries than traditional cyclists, and injured riders were disproportionately children 14 and younger. The study also found injuries occurred more frequently in affluent communities.
"The big takeaway is that people are generally more severely injured than they would be if they were on a traditional, pedal bicycle," Austin told the Times of San Diego on Friday, Aug. 14. "Overall, these patients tend to be younger, they tend to be unhelmeted and, in turn, be more severely injured."
San Diego County hospitals recorded 865 emergency department visits and 186 hospitalizations from e-bike accidents in 2024 alone, according to NBC San Diego.
Orange County's criminal precedent
The question of parental accountability extends beyond fines. Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer has charged four parents and opened more than two dozen investigations through a unit he created in mid-May called RIDE SAFELY, according to the Orange County Register. Among those charged: Tommi Jo Mejer, an Aliso Viejo mother facing involuntary manslaughter after her 14-year-old son fatally struck an 81-year-old Vietnam veteran while riding an e-motorcycle in Lake Forest.
Those cases involve e-motorcycles, a legally distinct vehicle category from the Class 1 and 2 e-bikes covered by San Diego's ordinance. But the underlying legal theory holds relevance: parents bear responsibility when they provide dangerous vehicles to minors. The OC DA's office is focusing prosecutions on parents who had already been warned by law enforcement or by the store where they purchased the vehicle.
What the ordinance requires
The San Diego City Council approved the regulations in June, championed by City Councilmember Raul Campillo of District 7. The law was enabled by Assembly Bill 2234, authored by Assemblymember Tasha Boerner of Encinitas.
Key provisions:
- Children under 12 cannot ride Class 1 or Class 2 e-bikes
- Helmet requirements are reinforced
- Passengers are restricted to e-bikes designed for multiple riders with a permanent second seat
- Parents share liability for citations
SDPD is issuing warnings, not citations, through a 60-day education period. Citations may begin Monday, Oct. 12. Violators can complete an online safety course within 120 days instead of paying the $25 fine.
San Diego Police Commander Ben Kelso said at the Aug. 7 safety campaign launch that law enforcement and hospitals are seeing a rise in serious e-bike injuries, and that the ordinance establishes clear rules to protect the community.
Balancing safety and access
Not everyone agrees the new restrictions are the right approach. Chloé Lauer, executive director of the San Diego County Bike Coalition, argued that many dangerous behaviors people cite are already illegal and said she would rather see existing laws enforced than new restrictions that limit mobility for kids riding responsibly.
Sharon Franke, a San Diego-area mother whose sons attended an e-bike safety training the Aug. 9 weekend, told the Times of San Diego: "We want them to have fun, but we also want them to come back safe and we don't want them to hurt anybody. How do you balance all of it?"
The San Diego Unified School District Police Department began monitoring compliance as the school year started Monday, Aug. 10. Citations under the ordinance may begin Monday, Oct. 12.
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