The staff and PTA of Central Middle School have been tracking an increase in incidents involving e-bikes in the community. The CMS PTA and Jon from Bax Cycles are partnering on a safety presentation on Monday, September 29 at 6:30pm in the CMS auditorium.
The session will review e-bike rider safety and skills.
Parents and students are encouraged to attend.
Mia Gyesky from CMS PTA said, “As a parent in our community it can sometimes be hard to hear our own judgement on things that come up with our children. From cell phone age, social media usage and now the use of e-bikes.”
“Funny how adamant we can be about not letting our kids ride motorcycles or vape, after we all barely survived the 80’s and 90’s with cigarettes and other questionable things,” she added. “I think as a community we saw our values waver with cell phones and then, with campaigns like ‘ok to delay’ we realized it was ok to not go with the norm and pull the reins in again.”
Gyeski added that while e-bikes look like fun, and it’s nice to see children away from video games and cell phones, e-bikes are not the same as regular bicycles or mountain bikes.
“Most unmodified can reach 28 mph the impact of this due to kinetic energy can be about 45km. And those modified (which is very illegal and dangerous) can reach up to 40 or 50 mph. This speed alone can kill, not only the kid using the bike, but anyone that your kid hits with his bike.”
Jon Baxendale from Bax Cycles agreed.
“While e-bikes and e-scooters offer our tweens/teens valuable independence, their higher speeds and heavier builds present serious safety risks for younger inexperienced riders,” he said.
Baxendale said emergency room visits for injuries from these vehicles have soared, and severe injuries are a major concern, with many incidents involving teenagers.
“Parental, community and school involvement through education, safety measures, and supervision is critical to minimizing these risks and ensuring a safer riding experience.“
Baxendale suggested that e-bike and scooter education become part of school curriculum, either mandatory or as an elective.
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