Two years ago today, Molly Steinsapir, 12, was in an horrible e-bike crash. She didn't survive. This is the story of her life and death. The piece raises tough questions about the safety and regulation of low-priced e-bikes. Below: Molly and her mom, Kaye.
bicycling.com/culture/a42690
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Y'all know I absolutely love e-bikes and think they can change the world for the better. But I think it's clear that the industry needs more regulation, particularly when it comes to cheaper direct-to-conusmer e-bikes and the use of these bikes by kids. Something needs to change.
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Great piece. Would add we lose ~5,000 kids/year in the US to car deaths (150K+ injured). If we regulated cars like many want to regulate ebikes we wouldn’t be able to drive. If we crush ebike adoption via regulation we will lose more kids to car deaths. Cars = Regulatory capture
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So what do you propose doing about hundreds of thousand of kids 11-14 riding DTC e-bikes with inadequate brakes and no professional aftercare? Nothing, because cars are even worse?
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Just read the article, it was great. For those in the eBike market, where do we find out what brands offer the higher-quality bikes? Or - just stay away from Direct-to-Consumer brands?
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I think in this situation it would be really problematic to tweet out specific bike recommendations. I know I will never buy an another e-bike that doesn't have hydraulic disc brakes and thru axles (and a mid-drive motor).
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Thanks for writing this, Peter. A tragic story that gives food for thought about broader mobility, safety, and regulatory system failures.
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Very powerful and well-done piece. Can you explain this section? I'm not sure I understand it correctly.
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The two families agreed to a settlement, to be paid by the other family's insurance. But Rad filed a complaint that the families were colluding to reach that settlement. A judge rejected that claim so the settlement was approved. Nearly all of the money went to pay medical bills.
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