ENCINITAS, Calif. — With more and more electronic bikes on the road, the San Diego Sheriff's Department says San Diego is seeing a sharp spike in crashes.
A 15-year-old was badly injured Thursday night, after being struck by a van in Encinitas.
It comes as the city is set to vote on a new E-bike ordinance this Wednesday.
Electronic bikes are everywhere. They are fun, good for your health and the environment.
"I use it everywhere, gym, grocery store - don't have to worry about gas, don't have to worry about parking," Tab Baumann said, who lives in Cardiff.
But we are seeing a dangerous downside. E-bikes go at least 20 miles per hour. The Sheriff's Department says San Diego is seeing a dramatic increase in E-bike collisions involving those who don't know or don't obey the rules of the road. They cite rider inexperience and lack of awareness.
"If you're a user of the road, then the rules of the road are for you. That includes stop signs and stop lights," Kevin Baross said, from the San Diego County Bicycle Coalition.
They speak at school assemblies, and they host safety classes each and every month. The next one happens to be in Encinitas on July 15th at 9 am.
Click here to sign up for the free class.
"A lot of this, I think is common sense - slowing down, communicating, making sure people are safe on the road," Baross added.
Baross also works with cities to become more bike friendly. This Wednesday the Encinitas City Council will vote to strengthen E-bike rules. If it passes, law enforcement would first require a bicycle safety course, rather than automatically issuing a citation.
Helmets would be better enforced for those under 17 and only one rider would be allowed at a time.
"It really worries me when I see one hand on the handlebars and one hand on the cellphone and they're barefoot," Baumann said.
Generally speaking, all the rules in a car, apply on a bike.
"Act like you're driving a bike, rather than riding a bike," Baross said. "Cars aren't coming to a complete stop either. So it's a shared responsibility."
There's no riding on sidewalks, no weaving in and out of traffic and you can't ride against the flow of traffic.
There's a grey area though, because in Encinitas, there's no minimum age requirement and no license needed, so kids are cruising without always understanding how things work.
"We're going to have to find a way to get along, better together - it's the future," Baross said.
Carlsbad recently amended their electronic bike code, following a fatal crash involving a mother and her child.
A state of emergency was even declared after they saw a 233% increase in E-bike crashes since 2019.
They've stepped up enforcement and education, and they made several improvements to the roads.
WATCH RELATED: City of Carlsbad to review State of Emergency declared for bike and e-bike safety (2022).