Youth E-Bike Safety in Marin & AB 1778
Fairfax Town Council
May 21, 2025
marincounty.gov/departments/executive/special-committee-youth-e-bike-safety Youth E-Bike Safety in Marin & AB 1778
PRESENTATION TO FAIRFAX TOWN COUNCIL
May 21, 2025
Youth E-Bike Safety in Marin & AB 1778
Fairfax Town Council
May 21, 2025
marincounty.gov/departments/executive/special-committee-youth-e-bike-safety Slide 2
Background
HOW WE GOT HERE
• Marin has long supported, celebrated active transportation • However, growing popularity of e-bikes among school-aged youth in Marin has raised serious safety concerns
o 2019-2022: Marin’s 911 calls for youth on bikes 110% o 2023-present: New data shows 10-15 year olds have a 5x higher accident rate than all other age groups
• Marin ERs: e-bike injuries in youth more akin to serious motorcycle injuries (internal bleeding, fractures, organ damage, brain trauma) Youth E-Bike Safety in Marin & AB 1778
Fairfax Town Council
May 21, 2025
marincounty.gov/departments/executive/special-committee-youth-e-bike-safety Slide 3
Public Health E-Bike Safety Dashboard
MARINHHS.ORG/BICYCLE - SAFETY
Youth have 1.5x higher accident rate
Accident rate by age group
10-15 16-39 40-59 60+
Youth have 5x higher accident rate
Youth E-Bike Safety in Marin & AB 1778
Fairfax Town Council
May 21, 2025
marincounty.gov/departments/executive/special-committee-youth-e-bike-safety Slide 4
Types of E-bikes in California
• Class 1: Pedal-assist only (no throttle), max. assisted speed 20mph • Class 2: Have throttle (no pedaling required), max. assisted speed 20mph
• Class 3*: Pedal-assist only (no throttle), max. assisted speed 28mph *State law already requires Class 3 riders to be over 16 and helmets for all ages
Local action to improve youth safety
Youth E-Bike Safety in Marin & AB 1778
Fairfax Town Council
May 21, 2025
marincounty.gov/departments/executive/special-committee-youth-e-bike-safety Slide 6
Advocacy and countywide coordination
• Federal advocacy with Consumer Product Safety Commission • State advocacy on 3 e-bike bills in 2023-2024 Legislative session • 2024 Civil Grand Jury report: With Power Comes Responsibility - Youths Under Age 16 Operating Class 2 E-Bikes: A Safety Risk • Convened new Special Committee on Youth E-Bike Safety to:
o Implement a countywide public education campaign
o Consider countywide AB 1778 adoptions, enforcement
• Informational update to Transportation Authority of Marin Board Youth E-Bike Safety in Marin & AB 1778
Fairfax Town Council
May 21, 2025
marincounty.gov/departments/executive/special-committee-youth-e-bike-safety Slide 7
State legislation on e-bike safety
MARIN ADVOCATED, CONTRIBUTED TO STATEWIDE POLICY
• AB 1096 (2015): established e-bike class standards, including max. speeds • SB 381 (2023): SJSU Mineta Institute study on e-bike safety (January 2026) • AB 1774: prohibits devices that can modify the speed of an e-bike • SB 1271: requires all e-bikes to use batteries with safety certifications • AB 2234: authorizes San Diego County jurisdictions to prohibit children under 12 from operating Class 1 or 2 e-bikes
• AB 1778: authorizes Marin County jurisdictions to prohibit children under 16 from operating Class 2 e-bikes
2024
Youth E-Bike Safety in Marin & AB 1778
Fairfax Town Council
May 21, 2025
marincounty.gov/departments/executive/special-committee-youth-e-bike-safety Slide 8
Assembly Bill 1778 (Connolly, 2024)
ALLOWS MARIN JURISDICTIONS TO PASS LOCAL ORDINANCES TO… Current state law With AB 1778 ordinance
Age
limits
No age limit for Class 1 e-bikes Same
No age limit for Class 2 e-bikes Class 2 e-bikes limited to 16+ Class 3 e-bikes limited to 16+ Same
Helmets All e-bike riders <18 required to wear helmets Same Class 1 e-bike riders >18 not required to wear helmet Same Class 2 e-bike riders >18 not required to wear helmet Class 2 e-bike riders of all ages required to wear helmets
Class 3 e-bike riders of all ages required to wear helmets Same Youth E-Bike Safety in Marin & AB 1778
Fairfax Town Council
May 21, 2025
marincounty.gov/departments/executive/special-committee-youth-e-bike-safety Slide 9
Coordination with Cities, Towns, Parks
AB 1778 IS ONE COMPONENT TO MARIN -WIDE STRATEGY
• Wide-reaching representation on Special Committee
• Presentations to TAM, Marin Managers, Marin Police Chiefs, Parks Commission (application to multi-use paths)
• County leading data collection/reporting with Sheriff, Public Health • Support to Cities/Towns in ordinance adoption, attending City Council meetings
• Development, coordination of Public Education Campaign Youth E-Bike Safety in Marin & AB 1778
Fairfax Town Council
May 21, 2025
marincounty.gov/departments/executive/special-committee-youth-e-bike-safety Slide 10
Youth E-Bike Safety Public Education Campaign
LAUNCHING SPRING/SUMMER 2025
• Target audience = Marin teens and parents
• Local firm Chrome Panther selected. Key messaging:
o Young riders on pedal-assist (not throttle) e-bikes (AB 1778) o Maintenance needs for e-bikes to keep in safe, working order o Safe riding: helmets, no tandem riding, following traffic laws • Initial campaign materials out before end of school year, more over summer and timed with back to school
Youth E-Bike Safety in Marin & AB 1778
Fairfax Town Council
May 21, 2025
marincounty.gov/departments/executive/special-committee-youth-e-bike-safety Slide 11
Timeline of key actions
May 21
Youth E-Bike Safety in Marin & AB 1778
Fairfax Town Council
May 21, 2025
marincounty.gov/departments/executive/special-committee-youth-e-bike-safety Slide 12
Measuring success of our efforts
• Ordinance adoption across all 11 Marin Cities + Towns • Impact and reach of upcoming Public Safety Campaign: clarity of safety campaign messages, improved teen/parent education • Decreasing the e-bike accident rate among 10-15 year olds o Monitoring e-bike injuries by Class 1, 2 or 3
• Number of e-bike-related violations issued in Marin
o Data collection required ensures no disproportionate impacts Youth E-Bike Safety in Marin & AB 1778
Fairfax Town Council
May 21, 2025
marincounty.gov/departments/executive/special-committee-youth-e-bike-safety Questions?
Discussion