Police – Electric motorbike concerns

As kids unwrap gifts and discover new electric toys, it also brings with it a new wave of danger. What are often marketed as kids toys, electric motorbikes and normal kids motorbikes, in reality are vehicles with enough power to cause serious injury when things go wrong.

I’ve seen a noticeable increase in young people riding motorbikes and e-motorbikes with great enthusiasm, impressive confidence and, unfortunately, very little protective gear. While confidence is great, it’s not currently recognised as an approved safety standard by ACC.

We are also seeing these vehicles used on footpaths and reserves at speed. Footpaths are shared spaces, not racetracks, and reserves are meant for families, walkers and kids playing, not fast laps and sudden swerves.

One of the biggest risks we see is a lack of awareness. Children often don’t have the experience to judge speed, stopping distance or how unpredictable pedestrians can be. Add no helmet to the mix and the margin for error becomes very small.

Parents and caregivers play a key role here. If your child has been given a motorbike or e-motorbike, please take the time to check:
• Where the vehicle can be ridden safely – private property only, not on roads, footpaths, public reserves, and
• Whether your child has the skills to control it responsibly

Police aren’t looking to spoil anyone’s fun. We’d much rather see kids enjoying their new wheels than meeting us under less ideal circumstances. Our focus is on education and prevention, but we will step in where behaviour puts people at risk.

A helmet, a bit of supervision, some open space on private property and some clear boundaries can turn a great gift into a safe one.