Irvine Cracks Down on Reckless Young E-Bike Riders

City officials consider fining parents for their kids' dangerous e-bike behavior

Published on Feb. 16, 2026

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Irvine, California is looking to tighten regulations on e-bike usage, including holding parents responsible for their kids' reckless riding through citations and fines. The city is responding to a rise in collisions and dangerous behavior among teenage and young e-bike riders, with over 70% of bicycle accidents in the city involving juveniles, and 65% of those involving e-bikes.

Why it matters

The growing popularity of e-bikes has created new public safety concerns in Irvine and other cities, with young riders endangering themselves and others through excessive speed and reckless behavior on roads, sidewalks, and bike paths. Holding parents accountable is seen as a way to address this issue and improve safety.

The details

Irvine is considering classifying e-bike violations as misdemeanors, with repeat offenders facing $500 fines. The city also wants to set new speed limits on sidewalks and trails, prohibit modifications to make e-bikes faster, and allow police to impound them. Officials say discretion will depend on factors like the rider's compliance and the severity of the violation.

  • Over the last 3 years, about 70% of Irvine's bicycle collisions involved a juvenile rider.
  • Of those collisions, about 65% involved an e-bike.
  • The 13- to 16-year-old age range accounts for 53% of all bicycle collisions in Irvine, with 69% of those involving an e-bike.

The players

Melinda Liu

Irvine City Councilmember who says the issue of reckless e-bike riding has been "long-awaited" and that the city receives many emails and meeting requests about it.

Shaheen Jahangard

Lieutenant with Irvine Police Department's traffic bureau, who says officers will consider factors like rider compliance and violation severity when deciding whether to impound an e-bike.

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What they’re saying

“This has been long-awaited. We get so many emails and meeting requests about this issue all the time.”

— Melinda Liu, Irvine City Councilmember (Voice of the OC)

“Discretion is going to depend on the circumstances of the situation — how compliant the juvenile is when they're being detained or stopped for the violation, what the violation is, how egregious is it, are their parents or guardian able to respond to pick up their electric bicycle.”

— Shaheen Jahangard, Lieutenant, Irvine Police Department Traffic Bureau (Voice of the OC)

What’s next

The Irvine City Council is expected to vote on the proposed e-bike regulations, including the potential for fining parents, in the coming weeks.

The takeaway

Irvine's crackdown on reckless e-bike riding by young people highlights the growing public safety concerns around the increasing popularity of these vehicles, and the need for cities to find ways to promote responsible usage, especially among teenagers.