While some youngsters were still sleeping in on Saturday morning, Jan. 24, about a dozen kids attended the city’s first-ever Bicycle and E-Bike Safety Class at South Shores Church, an educational event in which Dana Point Police Services and Orange County Fire Authority teamed up to educate kids and their parents on safe riding habits and incident prevention.
During the early-morning course, kids gained new knowledge about e-bikes and had the opportunity to practice a few rules of the road. Kids and parents also were able to ask law enforcement and fire personnel questions about various types of e-bikes and how to stay safe on the road.
While e-bike popularity has surged in recent years, particularly among youth, the risk of injuries has also increased, which is why city officials and safety personnel joined together to present the class.
“I want to say thank you to the parents and kids for coming out here; that just shows that the kids want to ride these things safely and that the parents are taking the investment in making sure that their kids are not only riding it safely but are also within the laws,” said Capt. Frank Gonzalez, Chief of Dana Point Police Services.
“It’s great that they’re out here not only interacting with our deputy sheriffs but also our partners with the fire agency and our sponsors at Super73, Doheny Bike and Murph Electric Bikes. That way, they can actually speak to the professionals firsthand.”
Gonzalez said the goal is to find different ways of offering the safety class by making it a quarterly or biannual event and finding ways to incorporate smaller versions into the schools to ensure students are “aware and vigilant.”
Drew Palos, Head of Community Marketing for e-bike adventure brand Super73, was at the event providing information on their e-bikes, as well as urging riders to obey traffic laws, signals and vehicle regulations to enhance road safety.
“We’re out here in Dana Point showing support when it comes to the safety and education, and want to make sure that when people are on our bike — or any e-bike — that they have the knowledge from obeying the laws, traffic signals, and how they could feel comfortable on the road, comfortable on their bike … and go out there and have some fun and be a kid, but just do it safely,” Palos said. “It’s been amazing so far; the kids have been soaking everything up like a sponge, and once they go through these courses, they can apply this when they’re out there.”
Palos said the demand for e-bikes has increased, but education hasn’t matched the demand, so he appreciates events like Dana Point’s class, where they can provide safety tips firsthand.
Dana Point Mayor John Gabbard also thanked the OCSD deputies and Orange County Fire Authority for hosting the event and thanked the parents who brought their kids to participate and learn.
“Safety is very important to Dana Point; public safety is our No. 1 concern, and this is just an extension of that,” Gabbard said. “We want young people to be safe and have fun and enjoy everything that there is here in Dana Point.
“This is just an example of us helping them to do things safely, and to control what can be a very dangerous vehicle if they’re not paying attention to the rules of the road, so I’m thankful that everyone is here and think this is a great opportunity and great event for our city.”
After a brief presentation from the fire safety and enforcement personnel on road safety and battery awareness, kids were able to take what they learned to the parking lot, where they had the opportunity to listen and follow the deputies’ directions on their bikes.
Dana Point resident and parent Coral Rodgers saw the event on the Dana Point Police Services social media account, so she brought her kids to the event.
“My son’s 13 years old, and I just want him to be safe on the road,” Rodgers said. “He’s had his e-bike for a couple of years, but he hasn’t been on the road much until now. But now he’s on the road, and so I wanted him to do this safety course.
“I liked the introduction they did inside and definitely hearing from the firefighters and the police and learning about the different classifications; it was very educational.”
Orange County Motor Deputy J Stanley said the goal for the presentation was to make sure that parents and children were aware of the vehicle code violations, with regard to safety and fines that come from violations.
“We want to make sure the parents and children work together to make sure that they’re safer while they’re riding on the road,” Stanley said.
Stanley said they have seen a few collisions in which bikers were going in the opposite direction of the traffic and not obeying stop signs and traffic lights — all violations.
“With the collisions that we are seeing, they look more like a motorcycle collision, so why not wear a motorcycle helmet, or dirt-bike helmet, that will increase the safety for your head, especially in that 20- to 28-mph speed,” Stanley said.
Officials recommend that parents spend some time helping their kids get familiarized with their e-bike and the rules of the road before letting them ride on the streets of Dana Point.
“Do your best to follow the vehicle code; the vehicle code tells you to drive in the same direction of vehicles on the roadway — that one’s extremely important,” Stanley said. “Same thing with your speed, with braking. If you double your speed, you quadruple your stopping distance. The faster you ride, the more room that you need to stop.
“And try to be predictable, because if you’re predictable, you’ll know exactly what that driver is supposed to do. It’s going to create such a safer environment for these kids to be riding their bikes.”
