A pending new bill will mean that all riders must carry liability coverage on public roads
A new bill is pending in New Jersey that would mean that e-bike insurance and registration will be a requirement for all riders. This will be a new requirement, as riders of those vehicles have, until now, been treated similarly to bicycle riders.
An electric bicycle is being newly defined
The bill will mean that riders will be required to register their vehicles and carry e-bike insurance in the form of liability coverage. This is a part of a broader crackdown that is taking place not only in New Jersey, but also in other states such as California.
In fact, in California, a new plan was recently announced in which electric bicycle riders will be required to carry a special license. Similarly, but outside the country, Dutch police are performing their own crackdowns by stopping riders on the roadside to perform speed compliance checks.
Legislation to implement e-bike insurance requirements
In New Jersey, Bill S2292 details the requirements for e-bike insurance and registration. This proposed legislation has strong state legislature support. Moreover, it will also expand to riders of electric scooters.
The goal of the proposed legislation is to ensure that riders of these vehicles will need to register and insure in a way similar to car drivers and motorcycle riders. At the federal level, electric bicycles and scooters are currently classified as consumer products – in the same way as conventional pedal-powered bicycles are – instead of being motor vehicles.
Rising crashes and fatalities
Support for this proposed legislation is based on a rising number of crashes – including many fatalities – in which electric bicycles and scooters have been involved. That said, there is some controversy regarding the way the statistics are being interpreted.
For instance, in the time period from 2017 through 2021, there were 192,709 fatalities from auto crashes. In that same time period, there were 119 fatal crashes involving electric bikes. Still, others argue that while there were 1,600 times more deadly crashes involving cars than electric bikes and scooters, there are also far fewer of those small vehicles on the road. Looking at the statistics proportionally can change that perspective.
Will e-bike insurance save lives?
Many riders feel that the requirement to register and purchase e-bike insurance is an additional burden that won’t help to save lives, but that will reduce the appeal of the smaller vehicles, reducing their use as an alternative to cars.
