California Wants to Create a Driver’s License for Electric Bikes
California Wants to Create a Driver’s License for Electric Bikes
A driver's license for electric bikes? It could soon be a reality in California if a new bill passes the state assembly.
The move is in response to many young electric bike riders who often take to the streets without having tested for or received a typical driver’s license for a standard car. That means they are often ignorant of many traffic laws and safety information.
Assembly Bill 530, which will soon enter committee, would require both an online written test and a state-issued identification for riders who do not have a driver’s license. The bill would also ban riders under 12 years old from riding e-bikes.
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In the EU you don't need a license as long as the assistance shuts off when you go faster than 25 km/h, you can still pedal faster than that of course but it'll be without the motor assistance. If you need a license even for bikes like that then it seems a bit silly
20mph (~30km/h) in my state, 28mph (~45km/h) if it has a speedometer. If it assists above that, you need it to be registered (license plate) and have a motorcycle license.
I think that's fair. That basically restricts you to driving on side streets with cars, or on the side of the road on higher speed roads. Most shops only sell the 20mph bikes, so it's really a non-issue.
30 km/hr in Canada. Which I think they copied from California.
The trouble is that they are very easy to hack and and just remove that safety figure. In the UK non-assist ebikes must be registered and a motorbike license is required. I would say over 50% of the ebikes I see are illegal, along with all the illegal scooters. I can derestrict my ebike in a matter of seconds because it's just a setting in the app.