North Coast Rep. Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael) is among a handful of federal lawmakers tackling e-bike safety.
The bipartisan federal legislation introduced this past week, called the Safe SPEEDS Act, aims to set clear product safety standards, labeling requirements and minimum age recommendations for e-bikes and other electric off-road products with fewer than four wheels. It would also require studies on crashes, injuries, and fatalities and work with local governments and law enforcement on collecting and standardizing reporting data.
“Without clear federal standards, the rapid growth of unregulated e-bikes is creating real safety risks for pedestrians, motorists, bicyclists, and especially children,” Huffman said in a statement announcing the legislation. “The Safe SPEEDS Act closes a decades-long gap in consumer protection by giving the (Consumer Product Safety Commission) the tools to set real safety standards, improve data collection, and help local communities respond to this growing challenge. Everyone who shares our roads, sidewalks, and trails across the North Coast deserves to feel safe.”
E-bikes have gained in popularity over the past few years. The U.S. Department of Energy reported that e-bike sales across the country in 2022, in the latest available data, eclipsed 1 million units for the first time — nearly four times the amount sold in 2019. Lawmakers and law enforcement officials have been scrambling to catch up and regulate the upgraded technology to improve public safety.
Huffman and the other authors of the bill — fellow Democrat Dave Min, also from California, and New York Republican Mike Lawler and Pennslvania Brian Fitzpatrick, also a Republican — note that despite the increase in sales, federal consumer standards for e-bikes remain largely unchanged since 2002, lacking clear e-bike class distinctions and disclosures on product information and crash data. They say that results in a flooded market with minimal oversight, creating enormous public safety risks.
Among those helping to spur the legislation is Marin Supervisor Mary Sackett, an advocate of e-bike safety measures.
The U.S. Department of Energy reported that e-bike sales across the country in 2022, in the latest available data, eclipsed 1 million units for the first time — nearly four times the amount sold in 2019. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images North America/TNS)
“The Safe SPEEDS Act will bring much-needed clarity and consistency to the e-bike marketplace, a growing safety concern for families across the country,” Sackett said in a news release. “Federal consumer product safety standards for e-bikes and e-motos are currently nonexistent, resulting in confusion and the inadvertent purchasing of e-motos for young riders. Funding for EMS data collection will also help other jurisdictions understand — like Marin has — the real safety risk that e-bikes pose.”
Starting in October 2023, Marin has gathered EMS data to show that electrically powered bicycles were increasingly involved in emergency responses for accidents, especially among young people given that youth ages 10-15 were five times more likely to need an EMS response compared to other age groups.
Statewide, the number of e-bike crashes in the state has drastically increased, according to California Highway Patrol data, from 48 reported e-bike crashes in 2020 to 1,366 reported in 2025. The numbers are likely higher, as the CHP depends on law enforcement agencies to report their data.
Safety concerns are present in Eureka, where the police department in the past two years has received nearly a dozen calls from citizens specifically related to e-bike and e-scooter safety concerns or reckless behavior on the local roadways, sidewalks, and public spaces.
Locally, there have been 17 reported collisions in Eureka in the past two years. One of them was fatal, and 11 resulted in injuries.
There’s also been a handful of warnings and citations.
“EPD has issued two tickets in the past two years, both to bicyclists riding at night without proper lighting,” Eureka police spokesperson Rachel Sollom told the Times-Standard. “Approximately, seven traffic stops involving e-bikes or e-scooters resulted in warnings or advisories about roadway rules.”
The Eureka Police Department declined to comment on Huffman’s legislation and the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office did not respond to a request for data and comments.
Under California law, two classes of e-bikes can top out at 20 mph: Riders under 18 years old must wear helmets.
The third class can reach 28 mph but the rider must be at least 16 years old and don a helmet.
No e-bike can be modified to go faster.
Ruth Schneider can be reached at 707-441-0520. The LA Daily News contributed to this report.
