SAN MARCOS, Calif. — "Ride smart, Share safely," is the message behind a new e-bike safety program in San Marcos.
On Tuesday, dozens of electric bikes lined up outside San Elijo Middle School as young riders learned about rules on the road and how to stay safe.
It's part of a collaboration called "Stay Safe San Marcos,” a partnership with the city, San Marcos Unified School District and the San Marcos Sheriff's Station.
“Really shows how invested we are in making sure our youth stays safe but really the community at large stays safe whether your riding a bike, an e-bike, driving a car or as a pedestrian,” said San Marcos Unified School District Public Information Officer Amy Ventetuolo.
The start of a new school year also means new rules in place including a mandatory permit for bikes and e-bikes at select schools in the district including San Marcos High School, Mission Hills High School and San Elijo Middle School.
Students will earn their permit after they take one of the safety classes which will allow them to ride their bike to school.
“We've had incidents in the past where they've been hit by vehicles so…we're trying to really lower that, we don't want kids being hit at all when they're coming to school,” San Diego Sheriff's Office School Resource Officer & Deputy Sheriff Celeste Baca said.
The e-bike safety classes also serve as a reminder for parents on the guidelines in place as their children use e-bikes to get to school.
“I think it's really important you know as much as we can trust our children. They need to know the laws and the rules and exactly what they should be doing and where to ride their bikes and when to stop,” Parent attending E-bike Safety Class Jeni Loch said.
Safety is crucial in this community as these three groups work to increase awareness and educate the youth to prevent tragedies
“It's supposed to be the safest place and we want to go ahead and make that a priority,” Baca said.
The next e-bike safety class is scheduled for August 28th at 6 p.m. in Mission Hills High School. For more information visit san-marcos.net.
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