Matt Derkrikorian, the director of the emergency department, along with the trauma and urgent care programs at Rady Children’s Health, is all too familiar with the damage unsafe e-bike riding can cause.
“We see much more severe injuries, including fractures, internal organ damage, traumatic brain injury,” Derkrikorian said.
A lot of these injuries happen because children don’t understand the rules of the road, he said, so people should be better informed about the risks of using electric bikes.
“I’m not anti-e-bike. I’m pro-safety, pro-kid,” Derkrikorian said.
That’s why he is glad that more is being done from a legislative standpoint to promote e-bike safety. San Diego last week became the latest local city to pass an ordinance to ban children under the age of 12 from riding e-bikes, citing a spike in related injuries.
The ordinance also reinforces California law, which requires anyone under the age of 18 to wear a helmet and prohibits more than one passenger on a bike that is only designed for one person.
Any violation is subject to a $25 fine, but any individual who is cited can complete an e-bike safety program to avoid the fine.
There will be a public education campaign before enforcement begins and a 60-day warning period before citations are issued and fines are imposed.
A second vote by the San Diego City Council is set for Tuesday; the restrictions will be implemented 30 days after final passage.
“The goal is not to punish anyone, particularly children,” Councilmember Raul Campillo said at the council meeting. “The goal is to prevent injuries before they happen.”
Campillo said in an interview with Times of San Diego that he introduced this ordinance because his constituents have been asking for it and because medical data shows how many people are getting hurt.
E-bike injuries have spiked in recent years. Rady Children’s Health saw just three cases in 2021. By 2025, that number had shot up to 262 cases. E-bikes were the largest cause of injury for trauma visits in 2025, according to data from Rady Children’s officials.
There have been 98 cases from January to March of this year, according to recent data from the healthcare system.
Campillo said that the unanimous approval of the ordinance shows how prevalent the issue of e-bike safety is.
“We want to encourage people to use alternate transportation, electrical transportation, but we cannot sacrifice safety,” Campillo said.
Electric bikes are categorized into three different types. A class 1 e-bike is a “low-speed pedal-assisted electric bicycle” that can reach 20 miles per hour, a class 2 e-bike is a “low-speed throttle-assisted electric bicycle” that can also reach 20 miles per hour. A class 3 e-bike is a “speed pedal-assisted electric bicycle” that can reach 28 miles per hour, according to the California Vehicle Code.
The ordinance applies to class 1 and class 2 e-bikes. Class 3 e-bikes are only allowed for riders 16 or older.
The countywide San Diego Electric Bicycle Safety Pilot Program authorizes the city of San Diego and other local authorities within the county to enact this ban.
Assemblymember Tasha Boerner, the author of the bill that created the pilot program, said that she is excited that San Diego’s council approved the e-bike safety ordinance.
Boerner said that she introduced the bill after seeing an increase in e-bike accidents in her district, which includes Carlsbad, Coronado, Del Mar, Encinitas, parts of San Diego and Solana Beach. Some of them were fatal.
“We want them to come home safe,” Boerner said, “and there were a couple kids who didn’t come home safe to their parents.”
San Diego’s upcoming regulations are not the strictest when it comes enforcement of e-bike safety in San Diego County.
Some of the seven other cities with e-bike laws have gone further, including allowing the confiscation of e-bikes and restricting them in certain areas.
All the local cities with e-bike laws prohibit children under 12 from operating one. Here’s a rundown of other components of each of the local laws:
Carlsbad
- When a minor breaks the rules and creates a public safety risk, the e-bike may be impounded. The minor can get the e-bike back by completing an in-person safety course.
- Minors required to wear a helmet on class 1 and class 2 e-bikes, helmet required for any rider on a class 3 e-bike.
- Passengers only allowed on e-bikes made for additional riders.
- E-bikes prohibited at Poinsettia and Pine Avenue Community Parks.
Chula Vista
- Class 1 and class 2 e-bikes are prohibited on sidewalks in business districts, city-owned parking structures and any area with signage that prohibits its use.
- Class 3 e-bikes prohibited on any sidewalk.
- Minors prohibited from transporting any passenger on an e-bike that is only meant for one person.
- Minors required to wear a helmet on class 1 and class 2 e-bikes, helmet required for any rider on a class 3 e-bike.
- Any person cited and convicted of three or more infractions may be barred from using an e-bike in city-owned parking structures, lots, parks, or other city facilities.
- City can impound e-bike for 30 days as a result of violations.
Coronado
- Minors required to wear a helmet on class 1 and class 2 e-bikes, helmet required for any rider on a class 3 e-bike.
- Prohibits e-bikes:
- On all city sidewalks, beaches and parks
- The Paseo boardwalk near the Hotel Del Coronado
- The Boardwalk near the Coronado Shores
- The Promenade between Glorietta Bay Park and the Bluewater Boathouse Seafood Grill.
La Mesa
- Class 1 and 2 e-bikes not allowed on the sidewalk.
- Minors required to wear a helmet on Class 1 and 2 e-bikes, helmet required for any rider on a class 3 e-bike.
Poway
- Minors required to wear a helmet on class 1 and 2 e-bikes, helmet required for any rider on a class 3 e-bike.
- Minors prohibited from transporting any passenger on an e-bike that is only meant for one person.
- No person can ride an e-bike on any playground, park or school ground not designated as a bike path.
- Any person cited and convicted of three or more infractions may be barred from using an e-bike in city-owned parking structures, lots, parks or other city facilities.
- City can impound e-bike for 30 days as a result of violations.
San Marcos
- Class 1, 2 and 3 e-bikes not allowed on the sidewalk.
- Minors required to wear a helmet.
- Minors prohibited from transporting any passenger on an e-bike that is only meant for one person.
- Class 3 e-bikes prohibited from transporting passengers.
- Installed signs prohibiting e-bikes on sidewalks and in business districts.
Santee
- Minors required to wear a helmet on Class 1 and 2 e-bikes, helmet required for any rider on a class 3 e-bike.
- Riding on sidewalk prohibited where city has posted signs.
- Minors prohibited from transporting any passenger on an e-bike that is only meant for one person.
Ian Hembree, advocacy and community manager for the San Diego County Bicycle Coalition, said that his organization opposes the restrictions passed by the San Diego City Council.
“We are just kind of skeptical that this particular restriction will be effective at preventing the sort of issues that we are seeing on the roadway,” Hembree said.
Hembree said that e-bike safety education for children and parents should be the first step in combatting this issue and he believes in improving street infrastructure and enforcing existing laws.
“I’m not saying that the injuries that exist aren’t real and shouldn’t be addressed, but this is the lowest effort approach to do something,” Hembree said.
Campillo argues that the ordinance prioritizes e-bike safety instruction with the required educational program.
He also points out that an education-only approach is not as effective as pairing it with actual regulations.
“That is not a good way to prohibit the reckless actions we’re seeing,” Campillo said.
Campillo said he wants to keep younger kids from being exposed to e-bikes at an early stage in their development.
“We’re gonna protect against that and hopefully change the culture around e-bikes,” Campillo said.
