North Bellmore is about 20 miles from Great Neck. Yet today, North Bellmore mourns 14-year-old Jayden Flores while we continue unassumingly.
No, Flores wasn’t skydiving far from home. He was on his way to school, backpack slung against his back, riding his E-bike. Yes, he was wearing a helmet. It just wasn’t enough to get him home that night when he collided with a car.
The electronic bicycle is classified as an electric mobility device. Although early models date to the 19th century, modern e-bikes feature pedal-assisted and throttle-style designs that are fast and efficient. As such, they have risen in popularity—particularly among youth.
“My family couldn’t be around all the time to take me everywhere, so e-bikes were the best alternative,” junior Lily Long explained. “It’s also fun to ride.”
Long isn’t the only one attracted to the e-bike sensation. Sleek bikes frequently whisk across sidewalks in Great Neck Plaza. Many teens opt for e-bikes because they’re convenient. They want to have a tech-savvy alternative to school buses.
While electronic bikes seem revolutionary, many overlook their darker side: the seeping shadows of a growing societal cancer. Searching “recent e-bike accidents” on Google churns out numerous reports, all published in the past six months. The words “fatal crash,” “children hurt,” “critically injured,” and “teen death” litter the screen.
Such events shouldn’t be normal.
The primary danger of e-bikes is speed. Typical styles can gain up to 28 mph. Comparatively, the speed limit near schools is around 15 to 25 mph. According to The American College of Surgeons, “[higher speeds] reduce reaction time for riders to avoid potential collisions.” E-bikes don’t have airbags to mitigate risk for severe, life-threatening injuries.
“My son has had accidents with the regular bike he owns. If an e-bike comes into the picture, he would be traveling a lot faster. I don’t want our son to be at risk of bigger accidents,” Linda Lee, a GNS parent, remarked.
“Riding near cars can be scary,” Long said. “If students have poor speed control and don’t understand their surroundings, they can get really hurt. Making a mistake means you’re practically dead.”
Many teenagers overlook e-bike laws because e-bikes do not require a license. Mr. DiPasquale revealed that South High administrators have spoken with students not meeting the 16+ age requirement.
“I don’t think teens are mature or trained enough to handle such speed,” Stuart Lee, another GNS parent, agreed. “Certainly there’s risk by walking out the door, but regularly putting kids in a situation where they’re traveling 30 mph on roads? That’s an unacceptable level of risk for me.”
Swerving between pedestrians and dodging traffic is a recipe for disaster. Feeling drowsy in the morning spells out “DANGER” in capital letters. New York City alone reached a 24-year high in bicycle deaths, nearly 80% of which involved e-bikes. The majority of e-bike-related emergency room visits involve riders between the ages of 10 and 24.
Accidents, however, aren’t limited to self-endangerment. Last October, a mother went into a coma after blocking her daughter from two racing underage e-scooter riders. She shielded her child from physical harm, but at what cost?
“Losing someone causes trauma,” Mr. DiPasquale explained. As a North Bellmore parent, he witnessed firsthand the aftermath of Flores’ fatal accident. “Before they released Flores’ name to our community, I worried the student was one of my son’s close friends. It’s hard enough to process grief as an adult—for a child, it’s even harder.”
Danger doesn’t discriminate. Before pressing the pedal, stop and think: Is a thrilling ride worth what you hold dear?
E-bikes are not so electrically brilliant. Safer options exist, from public transportation to walking to classic bicycles. As adolescents, let’s hit the brakes before we irreversibly steer ourselves in the wrong direction.
