What happens if your child causes an accident while riding an e-bike?
LELAND, NC (WWAY) — As electric bicycles become more popular, many parents are asking an important question: What happens if your child causes an accident while riding one?
Brandon Pettijohn is a local lawyer known on social media as “Port City Attorney.”
WWAY’s Matt Bennett recently spoke with Pettijohn about legal issues that may arise from e-bikes.
“Typically parents are not going to be held responsible for the actions of their child, but in some circumstances they can,” Pettijohn said.
“Where the parents might be held responsible is if they know their child’s doing wheelies, riding through residential areas, exceeding the posted speed limit, those sorts of things,” Pettijohn explained. “If they’re allowing that conduct to occur, then the parent might be held liable for that.”
“Someone’s responsible in every situation, whether or not it’s the parent or the child is really going to just be fact dependent on what the parent’s allowed the child to do,” Pettijohn added.
North Carolina is preparing for new statewide e-bike rules to take effect in December.
The new law creates three classes of e-bikes based on speeds. It also gives municipalities more authority to restrict classes of e-bikes and establish speed limits.
Do you have a legal question for the Port City Attorney?
Contact us at newsroom@wwaytv3.com, and Brandon could render a verdict.
