Cycling safety advocates are renewing their call for tighter regulations on electric motorcycles and similar devices after a 14-year-old died while riding one in Anne Arundel County last week.
Police were called to where the Baltimore and Annapolis Trail crosses Robinson Road in Severna Park around 7:15 p.m. on Oct. 21 for a crash between an e-moto and a pickup truck.
Police said their initial investigation found that the teenager was traveling southbound on the e-moto — defined as any two-wheeled cycle capable of speeds in excess of 28 mph under its own power — when it struck the side of a pickup truck driving on Robinson Road.
The teenager, identified as Ryan Beales, was transported to a hospital and died Thursday, police said. He was a freshman at Severna Park High School. The driver of the pickup truck was uninjured.
For county officials and safety advocates, the incident is a tragic reminder of the importance of regulation, education and, in some cases, enforcement of rules surrounding electric bicycles, motorcycles and scooters.
Jon Korin, president of Bicycle Advocates for Annapolis and Anne Arundel County, said his organization is working on state legislation to address the growing issue of people operating e-bikes, e-motos and similar devices unsafely.
The law would require retailers to properly describe these types of devices and clearly state the speeds they’re capable of reaching.
“We want legislation that puts more burden on the sellers so that fewer of these dangerous devices show up on our trails and streets,” Korin said.
Korin said his organization was not yet working with any specific lawmakers, but that he had seen some draft language. He hopes to work on it during the 2027 legislative session.
Maryland law distinguishes between e-bikes and e-motorcycles. There are three classes of e-bikes: Class 1 is pedal-assist only and are allowed to reach speeds of up to 20 mph; Class 2 is throttle-assisted with speeds of up to 20 mph; and Class 3 is pedal-assist only, with speeds up to 28 mph.
A person must be 16 or older to legally operate a Class 3 e-bike on roadways in Maryland. If a powered bike can exceed 28 mph, it’s considered an e-moto.
E-motos are treated as motorcycles or mopeds under Maryland law and require a valid license, registration and insurance, and helmets are mandatory for all passengers.
Unlike some e-bikes, e-motos are not permitted on bicycle or multi-use trails.
Though Anne Arundel Police officials said they’ve seen “a sharp increase” in high-speed riding of these e-bikes and e-motos, they’re focusing more on education and prevention than enforcement, because traditional traffic stops can inadvertently create dangerous situations for young riders.
Young, inexperienced riders might not fully understand the rules of the road or know what to do when law enforcement is behind them, said Justin Mulcahy, a police spokesman.
“We don’t want to create a secondary crash,” he said.
Mulcahy said the department did not have statistics readily available on how many calls ithas received about people riding e-bikes or e-motos dangerously, or how many accidents have involved them.
“It’s just not something that’s enforcement-driven, or that you can write a citation on the issue. It’s more of a ‘let’s meet this on the front end and have a dialogue with parents and children and students about this,’” Mulcahy said.
To address the issue, police are starting what they call Operation C.A.R.E., which stands for Community Awareness and Rider Education.
School resource officers will be sharing guidelines and educational materials with middle and high school students; patrol officers and park rangers will patrol local parks to meet young riders; and officials are distributing flyers to local retailers about legal specifications.
Bob Mosier, a spokesperson for Anne Arundel County Public Schools, said there’s been an “epidemic” of students riding motorized bikes, “so there are some conversations in our schools already.”
Mosier said his thoughts and those of everyone in the school system are with Ryan’s friends and family.
“We have a community that is still reeling,” Mosier said.
In a letter to the school community, Severna Park High School Principal Nathan Johnson said Ryan had quickly made friends at the school.
“He was a positive presence in our hallways, classrooms and cafeteria, and he approached instruction with a positive attitude. He was very supportive of our students with special needs, and he had a great smile,” Johnson wrote.
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