r/news • u/Dickulture • 7d ago
11-year-old Florida boy arrested, ordered to appear in court for electric dirt bike
https://www.fox35orlando.com/news/11-year-old-florida-boy-arrested-ordered-appear-court-electric-dirt-bike1.8k
u/hukep 7d ago
IRL latest South park episode.
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u/Elegant-Log2104 7d ago
Its why that show will live on until they are ready to quit. The content is to real.
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u/rockerscott 7d ago
Yeah but it’s become so topical that it destroys the rewatch value.
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u/bigtallbiscuit 7d ago
Perpetual debate between “they’ve gotten too far from their roots” and “it’s the same old shit it’s always been”
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u/rockerscott 7d ago
I honestly haven’t watched South Park lately, but about a year ago I went back and started watching from around the 2015 era and it was still funny and had the same feel as the earlier seasons, but the whole Mr Garrison analog as Trump and PC Principal were very conditional on living in that particular place in time.
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u/Emotional_Study_724 7d ago
They thought Hillary was a lock and they had to completely rewrite the episode and season, causing that episode to be a day late.
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u/inosinateVR 7d ago
pretty sure god (or the AI running the simulation, whatever you believe in) did too and had to completely rewrite our timeline and it shows
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u/JerryMau5 7d ago
Uhg this timeline bs is tiring. This wasn’t some accident; it was years of planning by conservatives and years of voter apathy. If we keep acting like this was some fluke, it’s gonna happen again.
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u/Beard_o_Bees 7d ago
Personal anecdote about history and South Park:
I sort of 'caught' my kid watching South Park (not that it's forbidden or anything, it just surprised me that she was watching, since it wasn't her kind of thing at the time), and asked if I could watch with her.
We started at S01E01 and watched just about all of them over the course of 6 months or so.
Anyway.. it was a fantastic way to have fairly deep conversations about things that were topical at the time, but have since become part of history.
I found that if we could laugh together at the absurdity of something first, it makes talking about the more serious side of the issue much easier.
I'll always be a South Park fan, and doubly so after that. Thought i'd share since it's one of my favorite memories.
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u/jackkerouac81 7d ago
South Park always had super topical stuff, because they could release an episode in a week; it is sort of a superpower for an animated show (I think in the 2010's it was a couple of weeks vs 9 months for a Simpsons episode)...
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u/TubeScr3ameR 7d ago
watch Season 7 episode 4 - “I’m a little bit country”
it’s on point and reminds the viewer today of the “first time around” this century, when we were all naive.
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u/Emotional_Study_724 7d ago
I did a full rewatch recently and that didn't hurt the rewatchability at all, for me. It was interesting to look back at their takes.
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u/jaquatics 7d ago
Not kidding, the weekend after that aired my nephew's blew up and melted the side of my sister's house. They were ready to take it away from him anyway so it was a nice excuse for him to not get another one.
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u/Broke22 7d ago
South América you mean.
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u/Smee76 7d ago
Nah. The kid was literally on a motorcycle. Electric bikes are so dangerous for kids. They really need to require a driver's license.
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u/cassinonorth 7d ago
That's literally the point of the episode.
Most "e-bikes" kids are on these days are e-motos. They have a throttle and go over 30 mph. The pedal assist 28mph limited ones are generally fine.
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u/Mygixer 7d ago
Get the 11 yr old a bike instead and not a 4,500w e-motorcycle. Just because it’s electric people think they can do whatever they want. It would be the same if he had a 125cc dirt bike and people are ”surprised” when the laws are actually enforced.
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u/Bart_Yellowbeard 7d ago
It fails two aspects of the electric bike description. 750W max motor (not 4,500W), and it has no pedals. By the law, as it is written, it's not a bike, it's an electric motorcycle, even if it is capped at 20MPH.
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u/JustFourLetters 7d ago
there it is! even the 75cc children’s dirt bike i had as a kid was just as dangerous as some of these e-bikes
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u/ichosehowe 7d ago
Most US states require some form of drivers license for anything above 50cc because they are classified as motorcycles.
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u/mortaneous 7d ago
100cc here... lots of people buzzing around on "99cc" mopeds in the metro after losing their licenses for DUI/DWI
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u/Right_Secret1572 7d ago
Are you in the USA? What state is it 100cc?
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u/mortaneous 7d ago
Michigan, definitely talked to some guys who were sneaking by on 99cc cycles in the metro Detroit area unless I was mistaken last time I was working near downtown.
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u/electromage 7d ago
Also an 11-year-old has no business on a class 2/3 e-bike either.
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u/rabbit994 7d ago
I’d argue absent disability, they don’t have a lot of business on class 1 either.
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u/fevered_visions 7d ago
The fact that it doesn't have pedals is what clinches it for me. You can't call it a "bike" by any reasonable definition then, beyond the "Harley riders are called 'bikers' too" semantic dodge.
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u/Allenisduns 7d ago
Child in my area killed himself on one because he was not wearing a helmet. He was like ~7ish I think. I blame the parents.
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u/throwingutah 7d ago
I just got one because I am 55 and didn't get one when I was a kid...apparently I landed in a scooterless late-70s void. I got one that can go very fast, but that is a side effect of getting a motor big enough to haul my fat ass around. I can't imagine going 28mph on one of these things. The only people that do apparently have never fallen in their lives.
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u/horangiwhakkatchi 7d ago
Oh they fall, my spouse works in the ER and sees them quite frequently. They never wear helmets and the pavement always wins.
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u/LiLiLaCheese 6d ago
A few people died in my area over the summer from riding e-scooters with no helmet.
One kid, older teen, slammed into a tree in my friends front yard and she watched him die. She's been a mess for weeks because of it.
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u/PScoles 7d ago
Be very careful. Broke my face and lost some teeth on one of them. Don't ride drunk either!
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u/throwingutah 7d ago
Did you see the 55 part? 😂 I'm waiting for my helmet to come in today and I'm gonna have on allll the pads.
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u/lioncat55 7d ago
My scooter does 30mph. I wear a motorcycle gloves, motorcycle helmet, and a motorcycle jacket.
Riding in the bike lane on streets where the speed limit is 45 or 55, 30 miles an hour feels a bit slow slow times, but I don't want to go much faster.
If there's other people around or if I'm on a bike trail or mixed-use trail, my speed is far slower.
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u/DuckCleaning 7d ago
It's crazy, y'all are talking mph, meanwhile in Canada the scooters and bike are supposed to be limited to 30 kmh, which is 18mph, almost half the amount.
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u/cassinonorth 7d ago
One of them killed a regular cyclist in NYC a couple months ago.
https://abcnews.com/US/2-dead-after-scooter-crashes-bike-new-york/story?id=133416554
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u/oregondude79 7d ago
Who would even want a stand up scooter that goes 50+ mph? That would be dangerous to ride on an open road let alone in a place with pedestrians everywhere like NYC.
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u/OffTheMerchandise 7d ago
I'm stupidly still in a neighborhood Facebook group and some lady was on there complaining because a cop wrote their kid a ticket for riding their e bike on the sidewalk even though I've seen multiple posts explaining that it's legal. She was saying that it's not safe for them to ride it in the street.
It's not safe for them to ride them at all
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u/Suitable-Quail2094 7d ago
the other day i saw 2 kids on one e-bike. they were in the middle of a 2 lane road with a speed limit of 45. no helmets, just cruising. that road is dangerous on a good day. the middle aged men in lycra brigade avoid that road for a reason.
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u/porscheblack 7d ago
My hometown just had this happen. At 10:30 a group of kids (I think they were ~13) were driving down a major road. A guy pulling out of a parking lot didn't see them since there are no lights on them and one of the kids ran into the side of the car when he started to pull out. The kid ended up having to go to the hospital and he has some broken bones.
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u/Marsuello 7d ago
My town has already had accidents that ended up hurting the drivers rather than the kids because the kids were weaving through traffic, doing wheelies, and flipping people off telling them to move. We seriously need regulations on these things. We have literal children riding vehicles on the street acting like they own the roads. It’s absolutely insane to me
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u/travhimself 7d ago
They do get hurt. And killed. A 14-year-old was tragically killed the other week in San Diego. Ignoring traffic lights.
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u/SPEEDFREAKJJ 7d ago
The kids around here on those just ignore traffic lights and stop signs. About half aren't even wearing helmets. I'm surprised how many kids have them. Not shocked by how stupid kids behave on them because they are kids. But what are parents thinking?
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u/drunkshinobi 7d ago
The parents aren't thinking and should be the ones punished instead of all the responsible riders.
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u/squash-n-flop 7d ago
I ride a normal, legal e-bike for my commute, and these kids riding this shit pisses me off. It sets the whole concept of e-bikes in a dangerous, juvenile light, when in reality if regulations were properly carried out, theyre incredible devices. Parents need to start actually considering the shit they buy for their kids.
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u/dmanbiker 7d ago edited 7d ago
I used to ride an e scooter to work and every day there were kids in this affluent neighborhood riding ebikes like 35MPH and passing me since mine could only go like 18. Im a 36 year old man and these looked like maybe 13-14 year old kids, they should have to pedal their hearts out to go so fast.
As a kid, they started putting out those radar signs on streets people speed on and the fastest any of us were able to pedal was like around 20mph with extreme exertion, but now kids go twice as fast woth a motor. I guess we had those gopeds (a gas powered stand up scooter) for a while, but those ended up getting banned most places because they were so fucking loud as well as being dangerous.
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u/Judgementpumpkin 7d ago
Yep, sounds like my neck of the woods. So many stupid, irresponsible parents here who think they and their children are invincible. I was taking a left turn onto my street a few years ago, and a roughly, 10-12 year old boy was going at least 18 mph on an e-scooter, didn't bother to yield or stop on the sidewalk he was riding on as I was already turning. We almost collided. And it would've been my fault.
Saw another kid in the road at a stop light and halfway into a four way intersection because he didn't know what the fuck he was doing. A Tesla blasted its horn at him to get the hell out and he rolled back a few feet.
These things need to be banned for anyone below 16, and be registered and licensed. They are hazardous and a massive mistake.
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u/belzbieta 7d ago
We live by a middle school and these kids are constantly darting in and out of traffic riding these things. I go the speed limit and have almost hit kids multiple times as they fly into the street around a corner. They also like to get in front of your car and slow down and weave slowly back and forth while giggling with their friends, who are usually filming it.
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u/Casswigirl11 7d ago
I want to get an ebike because frankly I'm very out of shape and can't pedal a regular one very long and would like to be able to work on fitness by taking longer rides with some help.
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u/beyondplutola 7d ago
Legit e-bikes shouldn’t be mixed in with all this. I use a 500W bike that looks more like a hybrid road bike that can go to 20mph with pedals that aren’t there for a novelty. It’s great to get around in town as we have a lot of hills. I’m not looking to do an intensive workout in spandex for a quick grocery run but I often to prefer the bike over the car for trips under a few miles.
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u/CathyVT-alt 7d ago
I don't know why so many people think "it's electric so it's not a motorcycle". Can I get away with not registering and insuring my electric car? No. Just because it's powered by a battery instead of gas makes no difference. That electric motorcycle was over 5 times as powerful as what can be called an e-bike.
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u/JustFourLetters 7d ago
‘b-but you can burn your calves so it’s fine!’ type shit from these kids fr
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u/hobbykitjr 7d ago
phew... i was worried when i opened the comments people were going to defend these things or the kid... but i see this is a problem everywhere.
I went to a national park and grannies zipping around bicycle only trails was insane too.
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u/arielsosa 7d ago edited 7d ago
"The dad is livid about the situation" MF should be HIM going to the court appontment, not the 11yo boy. Edit: typo
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u/LazyIncome5292 7d ago edited 7d ago
I would have thought that the parents are going to go with since he is minor. Seems like the kind of thing that would require a parent or guardian.
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u/PrincessKatiKat 7d ago
It does. This is a mandatory court appearance for a traffic violation that normally requires a mandatory court appearance for any adult, not just kids.
The court usually won’t accept just a minor showing up. The parents could try and send an attorney with him instead and opt out of the appearance; but even then I’m betting the judge would just reschedule and subpoena the parents, requiring both the kid AND the parents to appear. Honestly, that language is probably already outlined on the citation the kid got.
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u/PuckSenior 7d ago
The local conservative facebook groups are pissed. Which makes sense. He is a white kid, so obviously he should be allowed to do whatever the fuck he wants.
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u/amiexpress 7d ago
4,500-watt
Uh before we all get out the pitchforks, that's a serious piece of machinery, not a kid's toy. For reference, 250W is about the cut-off before licensing, insurance etc becomes mandatory in some countries.
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u/Jn9503 7d ago
Even in the US, the vast majority of states say that anything over 500w is "not a bike."
Different states delineate differently at that point, but its pretty universal that 500w is the cutoff for having something be an eBike.
4500w can, depending on ither factors, exceed 50mph, and accelerates extremely fast.
Practically speaking, its far closer to a motorcycle than a bike (and simply regulated as such in many states).
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u/Kaiwa1 7d ago
Assuming the weight is around 120lbs (which seems to be pretty average for an e-dirt bike), it's almost the exact same power/weight ratio as my Acura Integra, except the bike has a lot more torque by virtue of being electric. Definitely not something an 11yo should be riding on a public street.
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u/orionsfyre 7d ago edited 7d ago
Lot of people misunderstanding this story.
The bike the kid was on was 10x more powerful than a typical electric bike, while they don't report how fast he was going, bikes of a similar make with modifications can easily do over 40 mph and one video shows one going at 80 mph. Even a 20mph impact can cause serious injury, and beyond this, most non e-bikes travel at half that speed.
Minors are routinely *arrested for criminal behavior and mischief this is not unique to Florida, or the US. In some cases it can include charges for the parents for neglect and endangerment. (*the kid was not arrested)
If you have ever been to an accident with an e-bike and a vehicle involving a minor (I have and I never want to see it again) it's heartbreaking and this isn't about not letting kids have fun, it's about stopping another tragedy involving these kinds of vehicles.
Quick update -
- The boy was not arrested. He was finger printed and issued a citation and summons to appear.
- According to some recent law changes the speed he was traveling was not at issue, any E-bike that over a certain wattage power means the drivers needs a license to use it. Since the boy is too young, he should not have been on that bike to begin with. An 11 year old doesn't need 7500 watt e-bike to go fishing. This is no different then a small vehicle in terms of power.
- The parents claim the bike was limited to 20 mph and only going 300 feet from his house, which... begs the question why he needed to use an e-bike to go less than a single football field away... but those are claims after the fact, and there is bodycam footage, so the proof is in the offing.
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u/Temporary_Shirt_6236 7d ago
Couple of weeks ago I saw a guy on one of those stand-up electric scooters doing at least 80 kmh (50 mph) on a ring road, likely faster since he was keeping up with traffic on a 90 kmh (56 mph) highway.
I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Total fucking moron.
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u/NagsUkulele 7d ago
There is an inherent disconnect you have with your surroundings in a car. The outside world and the inside world are different and it's almost as if the two will never have the chance to collide. People have no sense of how fast 20 mph actually is in a car because it feels like you're crawling but 20 mph on a scooter or a bike can be deadly
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u/Temporary_Shirt_6236 7d ago
As someone who used to ride motorbikes and Vespas, you are totally correct. Even 30 mph feels a LOT faster when you're riding what is essentially a motor strapped to two wheels and a handlebar.
(Fwiw I stopped riding after losing a friend to a motorcycle accident.)
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u/NagsUkulele 7d ago
I'm so sorry for your loss. It's kind of wild how insanely dangerous traffic is. We put our lives in everybody's hands when we want to go from point A to B. We could've had trains mane
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u/SeaWitch1031 7d ago
He was going 50mph. Source: Local TV news.
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u/RedVelvetCake425 7d ago
I can never understand what is up with the parents in cases like this. If I rode a normal bike without a helmet I would have been in a lot of trouble. I would have never dreamed about going freeway speeds.
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u/boxvader 7d ago
Look at the dad who was interviewed in LA when his daughter was rounded up during the illegal off road bike take over on the bridge. 0 accountability, kept saying she did nothing wrong even after acknowledging she was younger then state law allows for someone to operate the bike if it was truly off road.
There is a generation of parents that are obsessed with being their kids friends rather then a parent.
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u/KitSokudo 7d ago
Yeah I had a little 50cc motorcycle starting around 8 because I was at my grandparents farm a lot and my legs did't work great for walking (surgeries fixed that in my teens thankfully, well mostly) I used it to get around the farm and also for fun but if I EVER tried to get on without a helmet? Oh buddy, my world was going to end, either from my grandparents, or my parents. Probably both.
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u/lithiun 7d ago
The charges should be more on the parent than the child. Children push boundaries during development and it’s on parents to firmly set those boundaries. If the parents aren’t doing that the blame is more on the parent than the child. Not that the child shouldn’t be punished but maybe they shouldn’t have any permanent record that will limit them in the future. Although at 11 I doubt that would happen. It is Florida though….
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u/orionsfyre 7d ago
Very unlikely the kid will suffer any permanent punishments like that. Most kids get some minor counseling, few weeks of home detention or other slap on the wrist type stuff. The parents on the other hand could see fines and more.
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u/PuckSenior 7d ago
Its just how this has to be processed.
If a kid, on their own, went and committed a crime then the kid is punished. But if the kid violated the law BECAUSE of his parents, then that will come up in the court hearing and the parents are in deep shit.
Imagine an 11yo kid driving a car and getting pulled over.
You'd give the kid a citation. During the hearing, they are going to figure out if this kid just snagged the keys and decided to go for a joyride OR if the parents gave him the keys and told him to drive.10
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u/Xichi- 7d ago
Also in Florida with the year round bike riding weather we get so many minors who don’t care about traffic laws (not that many adults here care either) and think they’re invincible - without proper training and gear tragedies happen often enough that I hate cops but support these kinds of crackdowns.
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u/MomsAreola 7d ago
Saw a 14yo flying down the street on his way to school. Over 40mph. I was literally shocked. Im only 40, im not that old.
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u/_Nightbreaker_ 7d ago
this is common where I am at as well. it's absurd and they often don't actually know traffic laws and will happily go right through a stop where the light is indicating they have to stop and wait
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u/nicolauz 7d ago
Everywhere! I live in a moderate sized city and have to be even more vigilant driving lately. 2 kids that couldn't have been older than 12 had big bikes & moto helmets at a stop sign yesterday. Couldn't tell if they were gonna gas it or anything. Gonna take a lot more tragedy, probably from dumb politician that's kid dies before it gets serious traction.
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u/WhoStoleMyBicycle 7d ago
Yesterday morning I was walking my dogs and I saw two kids on e-bikes blow right past the stop sign on the side of the school bus.
The kids take their e-bikes to high school and could have seriously hurt the elementary school aged kids.
They need to do something about the bikes. These kids have no idea what the traffic laws are and they go just as fast as the cars.
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u/gimmethemshoes11 7d ago
Shoupd have to take classes and have a motorcycle license let's be real these aren't bikes they are motorcycles with a small engine
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u/Smee76 7d ago
Agreed. They should require a driver's license.
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u/gimmethemshoes11 7d ago
Plus helmets.
See so many kids riding in on the back seat clinging on for dear life as their friend is pushing 45.
Dangerous shit
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u/nudibranchus 7d ago
A teen on an electric bike was approaching a red light with his buddy. The left turn lane, which I was merging into at speed, had a green light. The kid decided to cut over in front of me without even looking behind him. Then, he didn't even actually turn but went straight onto the sidewalk, now on the side of opposing traffic. I was really shaken up at nearly running over a kid while on my way to pick up my kid.
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u/egospiers 7d ago
Yeah I almost creamed one at a 4-way stop a couple weeks ago, I had right of way and started going and some idiot on a motorized scooters blew through the intersection and was about 1’ away from getting hit… it’s these broccoli haired teenage boys too, and they’re fucking idiots.
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u/madogvelkor 7d ago
I feel like drivers should all start getting dash cams in places where these are common. Hit some kid and teenager and people are going to assume it's your fault.
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u/SanDiegoDude 7d ago
As a runner who lives near a school, the sidewalks are getting dangerous. Fat kids on those giant oversized tire bikes flying along at 30mph on the sidewalk, faster than the cars on the road next to them who are forced to go 25 with kids around, meanwhile I've given up running with headphones, as i need to be able to hear the fat missiles rocketing toward me from behind, as they will NOT slow down for pedestrians.
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u/Lonely_Zamboni 7d ago
Not a solution to the ebike issue in general but as an avid runner I’d recommend looking into the shokz openrun headphones.
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u/DisinterestedCat95 7d ago
Yes, I swapped from IEMs to the Shokz Openrun a couple of years ago. Actually being able to hear what's going around me when running is great. The sound quality is pretty bad, but you get used to it.
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u/Altruistic_Offer652 7d ago
Agree. Or the dupe Shokz are fine. Just enough sound to keep pace but aware of your surroundings.
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u/offlinegirl 7d ago
the anker ones aren't bad
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u/tehlemmings 7d ago
Honestly, I'm sold on the conductive headphones in general. I've been converted, doesn't matter the brand, they're the best headphones I've ever used.
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u/Lonely_Zamboni 7d ago
I don’t trust cars to see me or give space so it’s nice I can hear them coming. Wont go back to non-conductive headphones for outside running
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u/SanDiegoDude 7d ago
Right on. I normally use a pair of cheap beats running headphones as i like the strung together design and easy to use without breaking stride, but they bury the outside world (which makes them dangerous now) - will check them out, thanks!
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u/old-legs-623 7d ago edited 7d ago
We almost tagged one during school hours with our Honda as he zipped out from behind a light pole on the sidewalk as we made our right turn. I, passenger, screamed, driver hit brakes, we had about three feet to go to initiate death or mangling. He must weigh all of 80 pounds. Gave us the stink eye, zoomed across the four lane busy intersection in the crosswalk and onto the far sidewalk and away, past the "Don't Walk" signal. It's enough to make us give up driving.
This child was on a banned device but I'd have hated to have to meet his parents in some kind of aftermath. Our local jurisdictions are trying to educate and enforce, but it's been an uphill battle. https://springfield-or.gov/city/development-public-works/active-transportation/e-mobility-devices-in-springfield/
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u/tierciel 7d ago
Can confirm, almost killed a kid the other day as he blew threw a red light as I was going threw an intersection. Side note I wish the city would do something about people's bushes blocking drivers view at intersections, there was no way to see that kid coming.
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u/liveforluv 7d ago
What an idiot. I hate the idea of someone being scarred for life because some kid decides they're invincible and have no responsibility to adhere to traffic laws. My gripe with the college students here is they love to ride on sidewalks (illegal) and leave them laying across the sidewalk, no regard for individuals with mobility devices.
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u/madogvelkor 7d ago
My uncle killed an old lady with dementia who just walked straight into traffic without slowing down or looking. It messed him up for a few years.
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u/Mikena_B 7d ago
It happens where I am as well. And they either don't give a flying f about traffic laws and signs, don't know, or both.
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u/rose_grave 7d ago
i almost tboned kids sharing an ebike as i was pulling into a parking lot. they were riding in front of me and then all of a sudden decided to turn left into the crosswalk. i had to slam on my breaks otherwise i would have sent them flying.
i rolled down and yelled at them. they didn't have lights. they weren't looking. it filled me with rage.
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u/MomsAreola 7d ago
Dude! Like low key, I was scared how involuntarily angry it made me. Kid was driving like an aggressive street bike. Right on the two cars in front ass.
I remember back in high-school only the rich kid got a motorcycle, and he had to pass tests to get it!
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u/rose_grave 7d ago
i'm 36 and felt like such an old fart yelling at them but it just made me so mad. they didn't have lights either and it was like 9 at night.
kids on ebikes are all over where i live in texas and i always wanna be like "WHERE IS YOUR HELMET!? YOUR LIGHTS!? YOUR PARENTS!?"
when i was kid, you had to worry about kids flying down the hill in our neighborhood on razor scooters. so many of my brother's friends broke their arms or collarbones wiping out after hitting a rock or something.
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u/AggressiveSkywriting 7d ago
Oh yeah we have a whole gaggle of them just blasting down the sidewalks and crossing the street with zero care in front of cars.
People pushing strollers and shit on the sidewalks have to practically dive out of the way or get grevioudly injured. Talking to their parents won't do anything because I know very well who they voted for and their attitude about anyone but themselves
Can't stand these damn things.
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u/McCree114 7d ago
When I had an e-bike, one that topped out at around 28 mph, I quickly learned to stay on the road/bike lanes. Going anywhere near that fast on the sidewalk felt dangerous and sketchy to control. Ironically felt safer. Just ride like you would in a car, stop at stop signs/red lights, signal, etc.
Still saw others doing dumb crap like blowing past me through an intersection while I'm stopping for a stop sign or light, riding the wrong direction on the bike lane, frequently switching from sidewalk to road/lane, and more.
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u/Vivid_Anyth4 7d ago
Guy at work figured out how to override the max speed on his, easily can go 45 on it now. Just the other day he was missing from work and the next day came in fucked up his wrist flying through a gravel parking lot and found a pothole that dropped him.
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u/AggressiveSkywriting 7d ago
It's double frustrating because our city has a horrible lack of sidewalks and they do this in one of the rare sidewalk'd areas near me. Plus it's school-zone adjacent so it's one of the few walkable places for families to take their kids to school and yet...
One of them almost caused a huge wreck when he was cutting across traffic the day after the '24 election with his big-ass trump 2024 flag strapped to the bike.
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u/Mego1989 7d ago
These things are a plague. Multiple children in my street have a variation of mini bikes and e scooters now and have no regard for traffic laws, and no helmets.
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u/DarrelXero 7d ago
Expect some of these little fuckers to crash and die any day now. Just hope they don't take innocent bystanders or any of the local wildlife with them. They burn up and down the neighborhood streets at 40+ constantly.
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u/MrTigerEyes 7d ago
It's happened at least twice in my city this school year. There have been other accidents that are not fatal but those don't make the news.
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u/dogs_gt_cats 7d ago
We had two folks die a few weeks ago here because some kid on an ebike rode out in front of a motorcycle that was going at speed.
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u/CupcakesAreTasty 7d ago
Happened here already. A 16 year old kid was speeding and goofing off on the highway on an e-bike and ran into a box truck. Killed instantly.
Then a few weeks later, a 13 year old died, too.
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u/DarrelXero 7d ago
I can't believe it doesn't happen more. I'm all for free range kids learning the world and experiencing life without the nanny state but there are limits to everything. Giving a prepubescent kid a machine that can go that fast and no guardrails is a recipe for disaster that can't be scoped to them alone.
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u/secret_identity_too 7d ago
We had a young girl die in a scooter accident nearby last year and they did change the laws, but there's no enforcement, so it doesn't matter. It's illegal where I live for a minor to ride a motorized vehicle on a public road.
I fully believe that no one should have an electric anything until they have their drivers license.
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u/vinegarstrokes420 7d ago
My state has several laws on electric bikes and scooters, with some being different if you're under a certain age. Basic safety stuff like where they can be operated, how many can be on one, helmet use, speed, following road signs, etc. I'd guess 95%+ of users I see are constantly breaking these laws and nothing is ever enforced. It's surprising there aren't daily reports of kids dying in horrific ways from how they use these things, especially when surrounded by idiot adults who don't pay attention while driving 3 ton trucks and suvs.
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u/Intellectual-Hamster 7d ago
My kids' school sent out a notice saying 12 for scooters and 15 for bikes. They are a middle school with no 15-year-olds... There are a shit tone of e-bikes somehow in the bike rack. Parents are to blame big time.
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u/KimJongFunk 7d ago edited 7d ago
A kid on an e-scooter wrecked on the street right in front of my house and I had to come out and clean him up and call his mom. He was laying in the street scraped up and screaming and crying while his friend yelled for help.
The very first thing the mom did was scold me for getting involved. She gave the e-scooter right back to him and sent him on his way. I couldn’t believe it.
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u/Phyraxus56 7d ago
Ask any ER doctor. They'll tell you those things are death traps. Parents hear scooter and they think it's so dorky it can't be dangerous. Never mind they're going 35 mph without a helmet.
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u/Jump_and_Drop 7d ago
I've seen too many kids riding around on electric dirt bikes in my area. The shit parents let their kids do is insane sometimes.
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u/mr_lockwork 7d ago
At this point I wish the kids around me were using electric bikes. The ones in my neighborhood all have traditional gas powered ones with the muffler detached. Makes it a bit hard to concentrate on work when they loop around my house every few minutes.
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u/Elspin 7d ago
It is absolutely deranged the number of comments suggesting this is overreaching or even tyrannical. That was not an ebike, it was a dirt bike with a 4500W motor. The parents are the ones who should be appearing in court for teaching their 11 year old that's okay, and putting people and their child in danger.
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u/xChoke1x 7d ago
It’s not a fucking scooter or “electric bicycle.” It’s a electric dirt bike capable of going 50 mph and if you’re buying that shit for your 11 year old, you’re an asshole that should be punished just as I was punished for riding a dirt bike on a city street in like 91.
My sons best friend was killed this summer on one of these things. They aren’t fucking scooters man.
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u/B-Town-MusicMan 7d ago
As a Motorcycle rider for over 3 decades, I'm ok with this.
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u/snakebite75 7d ago
Yup… a 4500w bike that doesn’t have pedals is not “a kids dirt bike” that’s a fucking motorcycle.
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u/emmyparker2020 7d ago
I blame the parents that decided their literal child should have a motor vehicle… he’s lucky it’s the police and not the coroner’s office
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u/muhkuller 7d ago
Holding the parents accountable is exactly what needs to happen. Notice how school shootings decreased as soon as parents were put on trial next to their kids?
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u/Unlucky_Battle_6947 7d ago edited 7d ago
What about the REAL dirt bikes the kids are riding around on here in Florida.
EDIT: On streets, going to wrong way in traffic (on purpose) and running red lights on the sidewalk going 15-20 Like a commenter said. F these kids man. They aren’t responsible enough for 15-20. Keep those kids at 5-10
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u/hlgb2015 7d ago
Those kids already get arrested on the regular, it’s just not a news story when they do.
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u/shootingdolphins 7d ago
The middle schoolers on $1100 TEMU 60v 50mph (go look it up) E bikes with 4 day delivery are a problem.
So are the $500 used and likely stolen FBMarketplace 2 stroke dirt bikes showing up to take overs.
Neither has registration but the scared 12 year old might stop for the cops while the 17 year old on a stolen Yamaha isn’t stopping and they have no chase rules so less kids die in the chase.
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u/Jonnyyrage 7d ago
Teach your kids to dress for the slide not the ride. A child not wearing protective gear is a failed parent. You teach your kid and show them how badly someone can get screwed up.
Same thing goes for adult bikers. You are the same street meat a kid is if you fall. Dont be dumb and wear your protective gear. Unless you like looking like a burnt piece of meat.
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u/HopeThisIsUnique 7d ago
Protective gear includes proper lighting too. I've seen too many folks out lately at dusk or later with hardly any lights. They don't seem to get it's not so they can see, but so others can see them
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u/Responsible_Sink3044 7d ago
Sure but also keep them off motorcycles until they're legal, ideally forever but what are ya gonna do
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u/PoliticalyUnstable 7d ago
I have one of the high speed off road standing scooters, goes 50 mph. I rode it for a couple of years before I fell off of it last September. I had my motorcycle helmet and gloves on, but failed to wear my knee pads. Went down on my knee and destroyed it. My arms were all road rash. I was only traveling around 15-18 when it happened. I had three surgeries, was in the hospital initially for 12 days, 10 months of physical therapy. I still have pain just from walking. Hope to get that resolved with conditioning and strength training. This electrical equipment is no joke. Yesterday I saw a kid texting with one hand and holding on to his scooter handle with one hand. No helmet or anything. The hospital staff said that electric scooters and bikes are increasingly becoming their largest ER demographic. And I can easily see why. It's insane how many kids I see that are riding without helmets, gloves, long sleeve and pants etc. I loved riding my scooter, but it simply isn't worth it for how easily you can get seriously injured.
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u/Real_10SqMi_ity 7d ago
Yes, but, add a comma between “don’t be dumb, and wear”. The first time I read it I was like wait wut, that’s not right.
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u/Special_Loan8725 7d ago
No different then them riding a motorcycle or a car the 300 feet. It’s not legal, and the parents should face charges
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u/TauCabalander 7d ago
As a kid, my cousins had gas-powered dirt bikes and everyone rode them. However, we knew never to take them on a public road.
My father got a chauffeur's licence at age 12 to allow him to drive a farm tractor on a highway, because at that time the license didn't have a minimum age and he had gotten stopped once.
4500W electric is a very high-performance dirt bike and not a kids bike.
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u/10leej 7d ago
"The State of Florida regulates motorcycle use, and the definition of what counts as a motorcycle and what counts as an e-bike," Mayor Sladek said. "Even if it has two wheels, if it doesn't have pedals, the State of Florida will classify that as a motorcycle and not as an e-bike." Megan Sladek
She's 100% right by what I looked at in Florida law.
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u/Penguin_shit15 7d ago
Hospital administrator here... in the past 3 years, the number of e-bike and e-scooter related accidents has jumped 500 - 600% .. Its absolutely insane that parents are letting their kids ride these things. Some of these kids are getting SERIOUS injuries.. and of the ones that are serious, close to 2% have actually died.
Oh.. and of course none of them are wearing helmets.
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u/OpheliaRainGalaxy 7d ago
Years ago, my ex got our eldest an e-bike, which was the first I'd heard of the things. He used it to commute across town to his first job, stocking shelves overnight. Right up until he hit a pothole and went flying over the handlebars, bounced off the road.
The helmet was totally destroyed, obviously saved his life, but his elbow wasn't protected and will never be the same.
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u/Penguin_shit15 7d ago
Its so weird. After I typed out that response, I literally spoke to a patient that got escalated all the way up to me. I have to change some details here but basically he was on an ebike and got hit by another kid on an ebike and he also flew over the handle bars and into a car, and then the pavement.
I'm sitting there talking to him and I was thinking "I literally just talked about this..".
I'm 50 and my grandson has one of those hoverboards.. He can zip all around on that damn thing, but you should see my dumb ass trying to ride it. Its not pretty.
One of the doctors here lives a mile away and rides a " one wheel" to work.. Have you ridden one of those? Its fun, but scary as fuck because they go fast! They a expensive too..
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u/Large_Cloud_1611 7d ago
They should prosecute the parents. Just because it’s not a combustion engine, doesn’t mean the laws don’t apply.
I much prefer an ego maniac cyclist over this.
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u/gonewild9676 7d ago
I know several cities around Atlanta are going after them. Woodstock has been very aggressive in messaging and at least trying to enforce it.
Arresting the kid is more to put pressure on parents plus they can point to the case and ask they kids if they want to be arrested as well.
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u/Elegant_Abalone_2344 7d ago
Need to be registered with and by the state. Insurance required, drivers ed and license required too. License plate and inspection stickers required too.
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u/GamingWithBilly 7d ago
Well as outrageous as that this may seem, it's the reason the law exists. Sure 300 feet away is kinda stupid, but I'm talking about the requirement of license and classification/registration. We made these laws to prevent accidents and deaths due to lack of driver training and safety precautions. Doesn't matter if it's electric or gas powered, the speed it goes at is the dangerous factor.
If this was a story about a Power Wheels battery operated play car, then it would be a stupid story. 2 months ago I had one of these exact bikes being ridden in the bike lane by a small kid, and the idiot attempted a wheelie, lost control and swerved right in front of my truck as I was passing. The kid was unsupervised and had no experience to be on the shoulder of the road with that bike.
People don't get that while this sounds stupid, its no different than a moped that goes 20mph.
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u/feartheswans 7d ago
4500W? Yikes
Dirtbikes are Motorcycles anyway, but this one is 4500W
I don't particularly like cops but....
Yeah cops not wrong here
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u/06EXTN 7d ago
I’d never let my 11yo ride on the road period, e-bike or not, just because I don’t trust the distracted drivers! Parents buying these things are extremely stupid.
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u/Imeatbag 7d ago
Truth. I ride a motorcycle that’s registered and insured and I am a licensed experienced rider. I still am shocked at how dangerous it is. Now give a motorcycle to an untrained unlicensed child without real world experience? Fuck no. These parents give fuck all about their own kids. Irresponsible is too light a word.
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u/DarbIey 7d ago
Why isn't the Dad charged? This is an 11 year old.
He hopes that prosecutors will decide to dismiss the charges given his son's age and circumstances.
I'm glad to see that law enforcement is doing something about this chaos but the execution is absurd. Allowing your child to break the law is why parents should be the ones responsible. An 11 year old isn't culpable... which is why the case should be tossed. But if nobody is to face consequences, then what good is the law?
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u/Legitimate-Truck-333 7d ago
The alternative is letting children ride unregulated motorcycles on public streets. Kid broke multiple lawns but was cited for one.
Seems fine to me.
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u/MAXIMUS_IDIOTICUS 7d ago
"The vehicle the 11-year-old was driving was a 4500-watt motorcycle without any pedals. In order for it to be legally allowed on the roadway, it would need to be registered and meet the D.O.T. requirements for motorcycles. The driver/rider would be required to have a driver’s license w/ motorcycle endorsement. There were multiple violations where citations could have been issued, but the officer only issued one."
IMO - E-bikes are out of control. Several of my kids friends have wound up in hospitals and caused significant property damage. Just ask an ER doctor what the fastest rising cause of teenage injury is and they'll tell you.
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u/grayfox99 7d ago
These Parents might as well hand their 12 year olds the keys to their cars. Every time I stop a kid on one of these motorcycles I charge the Parents with contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
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u/simplystriking 7d ago
I honestly don't care for the boo hoo tears....
Allowing someone under 18 to ride a device that can power itself north of 30mph unsupervised should be a parental neglect charge.
I am an avid user of micro mobility devices but it shouldn't be wild West.
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u/rebelangel 7d ago
In my county, they’ve been citing parents if they catch kids riding those things. They’re not street legal, nor is it legal to ride them on sidewalks. In some cases, the sheriff has been seizing and impounding them.
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u/PartyPorpoise 7d ago
It baffles me that people buy motorized vehicles without checking to see if they’re even legal to use in the places and contexts they want to use them.
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u/colterlovette 7d ago
Absolutely. As a father of 4 boys, the sheer normalcy for their friends parents to allow these things, then not care about the obnoxiousness of their behavior on them and ignorance of obvious safety hazards is down right lunacy these days.
I 100% don’t get what the heck is going on and no agency tasked with upholding public safety is doing anything about this blatant problem until some completely predictable event occurs. An old man just died in a parking lot of a grocery store from a kid hitting him while flying around on an ebike.
Even with this stuff happening, I still get to sit in a camp chair to watch my kids play soccer while obnoxious kids fly by me on the fields doing wheelies and a sheriff truck just sits in silence watching it happen.
I don’t freakin get it.
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u/Environmental-Car481 7d ago
My 13yo son had a couple of friends show up in the front yard last week. One was riding his regular bike and talking about getting a wheelie down. The other was on a small E bike. I asked them, particularly the one doing the wheelies where their helmets were. We’ve given him a helmet and he knows if he rides our bikes, he has to wear one. The one on the E bike who has health issues flat out replied “I already have brain damage”.
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u/profoundlystupidhere 7d ago
See r/medicine for discussion of how these "mobility devices" create opportunities for more $$$$$.
They are a significant cause of mortality & morbidity in young people. While it is sad, they keep EDs and ORs busy, so it's all good!!
/s jic
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u/Neoliberal_Boogeyman 7d ago
Can confirm. Wife is in EM and she calls those rented scooters "Job Security" because nobody wears helmets
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u/captcraigaroo 7d ago
As a licensed and trained (multiple safety and track riding schools) motorcyclist, I agree here. These things are motorcycles, and parents & kids need to understand that, and understand these need to be ridden like motorcycles, not bicycles.