Marin County is considering banning kids under 16 from riding e-bikes.
Marin County kids might have to park their e-bikes for a few years. At least that’s the plan under review by the Marin County Board of Supervisors, which is considering an ordinance making it illegal for children under 16 to operate a Class 2 e-bike in unincorporated Marin. The regulation would also require riders of all ages to wear helmets on those e-bikes, which can travel up to 20 mph.
According to county officials, the e-bike accident rate in Marin County for 10- to 15-year-olds is five times higher than for all other age groups according to Marin 911 data, statistics which mirrors national trends.
If the supervisors move forward, the ordinance would take effect July 1. Marin’s cities and towns will consider similar ordinances over the next few months with the same July 1 effective date to provide consistency across Marin, according to county officials.
According to data provided by the county, from 2019 to 2022, 911 calls in Marin related to all bikes rose 110% among school-aged youth. In fall 2023, Marin County Public Health began collecting data on 911 responses to e-bike injuries. The data shows the e-bike accident rate for 10- to 15-year-olds is five times higher than for all other age groups. On conventional bikes, the same group has a 1.5 times higher accident rate than other age groups. For information, visit marincounty.gov.
