"We're seeing a lot of younger kids riding e-bikes and e-scooters. The rule in New York State is that you have to be at least 16 years old to use them," Orchard Park Police Officer Kristen Mazur told WBEN.
Mazur said the biggest problem is that people don't know the rules of the road when it comes to e-bikes and e-scooters.
"We're getting a lot of complaints of kids riding e-bikes in traffic, against traffic, and not stopping at stop signs. Just a lot of unsafe activity," she added.
Wednesday night, June 17, from 6:30pm to 7:30pm, Orchard Park Police and Orchard Park Fire Company are holding an open house to discuss the safety of these popular vehicles at the Orchard Park Fire Company at 30 School Street in the village of Orchard Park.
Officer Mazur described an incident with an e-bike that occurred this week.
"We had a child that was riding an e-bike in the middle of the road, doing a wheelie. We had lots of complaints about that and luckily we were able to make contact with him and his parents and remind them of the rules around e-bikes."
Here is a look at the rules:
- You must be at least 16 years old to ride an e-bike or an e-scooter.
- Wear a helmet
- Ride in the street, not on a sidewalk.
- Ride with traffic, not against traffic
- You must obey all traffic signs and signals
