PRESS RELEASE - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 16, 2026
Contact
Aria Grossman, (619) 736-0072, [email protected]
Media Toolkit for Electric Bicycle Coverage Released by Circulate San Diego
SAN DIEGO – Today, Circulate San Diego is releasing a toolkit to help media, elected officials, and San Diegans identify electric bicycles (E-Bikes) and the current associated regulations.
Circulate has a long history of supporting street safety for pedestrians, bicyclists, and all vulnerable road users. We believe that all road users should follow the law to keep themselves and others safe. Parents have a responsibility to educate themselves about the law, and to purchase only the E-Bikes for their children that are appropriate for their age and level of skill.
Community concern over the safety of E-Bikes has been increasingly appearing in the media. However, so has misinformation about what exactly is considered an E-Bike.
Recent press coverage has misidentified certain vehicles as E-Bikes. Electric dirt bikes, seated electric vehicles without pedals, and mopeds are considered E-Motos or Motor-Driven Cycles, not E-Bikes. Under California law today, it is already illegal for children under the age of 16 to ride an E-Moto or Motor-Driven Cycle on local streets.
“Parents, teachers, and even elected officials should be looking for ways to make it safer for children to ride a bicycle,” said Aria Grossman, Policy Manager at Circulate San Diego. “Unfortunately, much of the discourse surrounding E-Bike safety has not been rooted in factual information about electric bikes.”
“Education is the most important path for progress on this issue,” said Carlisle Dockery, Director of Planning and Community Engagement at Circulate. “We’ve spoken with principals who had no idea that some of the E-Motos being ridden to campus weren’t street legal for their students. This is an opportunity to connect with families without dampening the growing enthusiasm for biking in San Diego.”
California has many laws already on the books to protect the safety of children riding bicycles and E-Bikes.
· For a traditional bicycle, children under 18 are all required to wear a helmet, and to follow the rules of the road, including speed limits.
The State of California defines Class One, Two, and Three E-Bikes as follows:
· Class One E-Bikes can reach up to 20 miles per hour with a pedal assist. This is less than the speed at which a traditional bicycle can travel. Children under 18 are required to wear a helmet.
· Class Two E-Bikes can reach up to 20 miles per hour with a pedal assist and throttle. This is less than the speed at which a traditional bicycle can travel. Children under 18 are required to wear a helmet.
· Class Three E-Bike can reach up to 28 miles per hour with a pedal assist. Only some Class Three E-Bikes have a throttle, and the use of those functions are capped at 20 miles per hour. Riders must be 16 years or older to ride a Class Three E-Bike. All riders of a Class Three E-Bike, regardless of age, must wear a helmet.
Below is an education toolkit produced by Circulate San Diego, sponsored by the California Office of Traffic Safety, with factual information on E-Bike classifications.
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