A cyclist on an electric motorcycle travels along 15th Street in downtown Modesto, July 2, 2026.
Andy Alfaro
aalfaro@modbee.com
Law enforcement across Stanislaus County is reporting a sharp rise in crashes, injuries and reckless riding involving e-bikes and electric motorcycles, with juveniles making up most of the violators. Experts warn many vehicles marketed as e-bikes don’t legally qualify under California law.
Original reporting by Dean J. Condoleo: Police, experts warn of growing e-bike safety concerns in Stanislaus County
Here are key takeaways:
Modesto police documented 97 injury collisions involving e-bikes or electric scooters in 2025, including nine severe injuries. Through the first half of 2026, officers logged 34 injury collisions, including two severe head-trauma cases.CHP data from the Modesto area showed reported e-bike crashes jumped from 18 in 2023 to 53 in 2024 — a 194% increase.Asha Weinstein Agrawal, director of education at the Mineta Transportation Institute, said many vehicles being called e-bikes are not actually legal e-bikes. She suspects a large fraction of youth crashes involve overpowered devices marketed as e-bikes.Police in Modesto, Ceres, Turlock and the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Office report common violations including running stop signs, riding against traffic, performing wheelies, riding without helmets and weaving among vehicles.Under California law, a legal e-bike must have fully operable pedals, a motor producing no more than 750 watts and a manufacturer label identifying it as Class 1, 2 or 3. Vehicles without pedals may be regulated as electric motorcycles.Attorney General Rob Bonta and district attorneys issued a consumer alert this year warning buyers: “If it’s too fast, it’s not an e-bike.” Modesto officials are researching possible updates to the city’s municipal code, though no changes have been finalized.
This report was produced with the assistance of a proprietary tool powered by artificial intelligence based on our own originally reported, written and published content. Before publishing, Bee journalists reviewed this content in compliance with McClatchy Media’s AI policy.