Community: Traffic Safety Information - Electric Bicycles and Electric Motorcycles

The Moorpark Police Department / Ventura County Sheriff’s Office would like to provide the public with important information concerning Electric Bicycles (E-bikes) and a few of the state laws pertaining to them. With summer in full swing, along with students being out of school, we expect to experience more E-bike activity throughout our city.

California Vehicle Code 312.5 defines an E-bike as:

(a) An “electric bicycle” is a bicycle equipped with fully operable pedals and an electric motor of less than 750 watts.

(1) A “class 1 electric bicycle,” or “low-speed pedal-assisted electric bicycle,” is a bicycle equipped with a motor that provides assistance only when the rider is pedaling, and that ceases to provide assistance when the bicycle reaches the speed of 20 miles per hour.

(2) A “class 2 electric bicycle,” or “low-speed throttle-assisted electric bicycle,” is a bicycle equipped with a motor that may be used exclusively to propel the bicycle, and that is not capable of providing assistance when the bicycle reaches the speed of 20 miles per hour.

(3) A “class 3 electric bicycle,” or “speed pedal-assisted electric bicycle,” is a bicycle equipped with a motor that provides assistance only when the rider is pedaling, and that ceases to provide assistance when the bicycle reaches the speed of 28 miles per hour and equipped with a speedometer.

New E-bikes are required to have a class identification marker permanently affixed, which labels the type or class of E-bike you have purchased or are riding. Everyone riding an E-bike is required by law to abide by the California Vehicle Code just like the driver of a motor vehicle or a standard bicycle.

Surron, Talaria, Explorer, and similar make electric motorcycles are NOT Electric Bicycles and are NOT street legal. They are sold as Electric Dirt Bikes or Electric Motorcycles and are classified by the California Vehicle Code as motorcycles (400 CVC). These motorcycles must be registered with the Department of Motor Vehicles, insured, and the operator must have the proper driver’s license endorsement to operate them on public streets. If these motorcycles are operated on city streets, sidewalks or public places, the rider is subject to receiving a citation and the vehicle can be impounded.

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A general rule of thumb to follow: If an E-bike has pedals and is able to be propelled by human power and assisted by an electric motor, then it falls within a class I, II, or III E-bike. If there are no pedals and no way for the vehicle to be propelled by human power, only an electric motor, then the vehicle is classified as an electric motorcycle and subject to all the same rules and regulations as a standard motorcycle utilizing a gas engine.
 

Some important facts you should know regarding E-bikes and bicycles:

1. Riding an E-bike or bicycle while under the influence of alcohol, drugs, or the combined influence of alcohol and drugs is illegal and is a misdemeanor.
2. Any person operating an E-bike or bicycle upon a roadway at a speed less than the normal speed of traffic moving in the same direction at the same time shall ride as close as practicable to the right-hand curb or edge of the roadway except when passing, making a legal left turn, riding on a one-way street, riding on a road that is too narrow, or when the right side of the road is closed due to road construction. Failure to comply with this section is an infraction.
3. A bicycle ridden at night must be equipped with a lamp emitting a white light to the front, a red light with reflector or a red reflector to the rear, yellow or white side reflectors on the front half of the bicycle, and white or red side reflectors on the rear half of the bicycle. The bicycle must also have a white or yellow reflector on each pedal, shoe, or ankle visible from the front and rear of the bicycle. Failure to comply with this section is an infraction.

1. Riders under the age of 18 years must always wear a properly fitted AND secured bicycle helmet while riding a bicycle or E-bike. The Moorpark Police Department encourages all riders, regardless of age, to always wear a bicycle helmet while riding a bicycle or E-bike to help reduce the potential for injuries.

Please contact the Moorpark Police Department Traffic Bureau at 805-532-2700 if you have questions or concerns about bicycle or E-bike safety or rules and regulations regarding E-bikes, electric motorcycles, or bicycles. Our goal is to educate community members to ensure safety and compliance with the law. We want all our community members to have a safe and fun summer.

Join us in the fight against crime by following us on X @MOORPARKPD, Facebook – Ventura County Sheriff, Instagram @MOORPARKPD, and on Nixle by texting your zip code to 888777 to receive local law enforcement and public safety alerts and advisories.

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